Land for railway projects given by the State government to be considered as State’s equity contribution is a moot point in implementing such projects in Tamil Nadu, said Vashishta Johri, General Manager, Southern Railway.

Whenever a project is suggested or approved, the land component comes free of cost from the State government and the balance cost is shared. That’s how projects are funded in states like Karnataka and Kerala. In fact, beyond the land portion, some cost is borne by various State governments.

Land given by the State government is a general agreement with state governments. Depending on the projects identified, a fresh agreement could be signed, he told newspersons.

For instance, to develop the suburban network, a Memorandum of Understanding was to be signed between the Railways and the Tamil Nadu government. However, the State government has raised certain issues regarding equity of the land.

The proposal of the Tamil Nadu government has been referred to the Railway Board for perusal. That’s why the agreement has not been signed between Railways and Tamil Nadu government, he said.

Unless a final decision comes from the Board, an agreement cannot be reached. With the Kerala government, no agreement was signed but there is a framework in place. With Tamil Nadu government, such framework is yet to take shape because a formal MoU was not signed, he said.

A senior SR official said that if land is given to the Railways, projects like 4th line between Tambaram and Chengelpet; 4th line between Chennai Bach and Egmore and 3rd and 4th line between Athipattu and Gummudipoondi could be taken up, he said.

MRTS compensation On the status of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) between Velachery and St Thomas, the official said that the Madras High Court recently ordered to pay compensation to the affected people. However, out a few of them a fortnight ago got a stay order stating that there was discrepancy in the Order, which gave the amount based on Old Compensation Laws while they wanted it as per the new Law.

The bone of contention is people living in 500 metres of land in the stretch. If the land is available, the entire stretch would be ready in 18 months, the official said.

The official said that doubling of Chennai to Maduraiwould be completed by March 2017. Out of the 494 km, work is going on in around 110 km, he said.

According to Johri, the total outlay for Southern Railway for 2016-17 was ₹1,508 crore as against ₹1,101 crore in 2015-16. A substantial portion was allotted to doubling (₹1,126 crore), followed by gauge conversion (₹332 crore) and new lines (₹50 crore), he said.

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