Karnataka to get three new railway lines: D V Sadananda Gowda

BANGALORE: The Railway Ministry has approved three new railway lines in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said here today. "Three new railway lines - Gadag-Wadi, Kengeri-Chamrajnagar and Srinivasapura-Madanapalled - have been approved (by the Railway Board)," he said delivering keynote address at Business Standard Infrastructure Round Table 2011 here. About Rs 24,000 crore worth projects are being undertaken in the state, including 2,137 km of new railway line in Karnataka, Gowda said. "Gauge conversion and line doubling works also are being undertaken," he added. The state government has also received in-principle approval for Metro Phase II from the Central Government, he added. About air connectivity, Gowda said both Shimoga and Gulbarga airports, being developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP), would be operational before July 2012. As many as 105 infrastructure projects under PPP format are underway in the state and are at various stages of development involving an investment of Rs 80,946 crore, he said. Karnataka has been at the forefront in various sectors including education, health, business, communication and information technology, he said. "The state contributes up to 8 per cent of India's industrial income and 9.8 per cent of product exports," Gowda said. Karnataka is the seventh largest and fifth most urbanised state and ranks third as a recipient of FDI, the chief minister said. Gowda also said the government was taking up major projects like the greenfield port at Tadadi, Dabhol-Bangalore gas pipeline, city gas distribution for Bangalore, international transit centre at Subhashnagar and traffic/transport management centre at Hebbal.