Chikmagalur railway station

Chikkamagaluru Railway Station serves Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka. It was inaugurated on 19 November 2013 by then Union Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge along with Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka and C. T. Ravi, MLA, Chikkamagaluru.

History

The demand for railway connectivity to Chikkamagaluru is not new. There was demand for railway connectivity even during the time of administration of Mysuru Wodeyars.

As Kadur was the district centre during British rule, Chikkamagaluru was left out of railway facility. Chikkamagaluru district board had collected a Cess of ₹5.5 lakh (US$7,700) way back in 1926 to bring railway facility. The British government which conducted a survey on the route map, dropped the idea considering it as not economical.

When Indira Gandhi contested for parliament elections from Chikkamagaluru in 1978, she had for the first time assured of introducing a train on Kadur–Chikkamagaluru–Sakleshpur route. When H. D. Deve Gowda was the prime minister, he had laid the foundation stone for the railway work in 1996 and the work commenced in 1999.

Improvement

The new Kadur–Chikkamagaluru–Sakleshpur 92.2 kilometres (57.3 mi) route was sanctioned in 1996-97 at an estimated amount of ₹157 crore (US$22 million). As a first phase of the work, Kadur–Chikkamagaluru route was selected. The work witnessed a snail’s speed, due to financial constraints and delay in land acquisition process. Speed of the work was resumed in 2010 after the State Govt led by BJP leader B. S. Yeddyurappa and the Central government decided to provide fund on 50:50 ratio.^[1]

Development

The Centre has borne ₹216 crore (US$30 million), while the State has funded ₹103 crore (US$14 million). The work has been completed at a total budget of ₹319 crore (US$44 million), while ₹652 crore (US$91 million) is expected for completing Chikkamagaluru–Sakleshpur route. Once the phase II work is completed, it would provide direct connectivity to Mangaluru.

References