Vaishnaw’s assurance revives hopes for long-pending rly line project

Mysuru: The long-pending 140km Hejjalla-Chamarajanagar railway line project is likely to become a reality soon.
Union minister of heavy industries HD Kumaraswamy has received assurance from minister of railways Ashwini Vaishnaw that the project will be included in the upcoming railway budget. The revival of the project, which passes through Kanakapura, Malavalli, Kollegal, Yelandur, Santhemarahalli, and Chamarajanagar, has raised hopes among the people of Chamarajanagar district.
The new railway line will provide direct connectivity to Bengaluru and easy access to the nearest route to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Currently, railway passengers from Chamarajanagar have to travel 60km to Mysuru to travel to Bengaluru, which is about 140 km away. Although there is train connectivity to Chamarajanagar via Nanjangud, Mysuru, and Mandya, the new Hejjala-Chamarajnagar line will benefit the people of Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Ramanagara, and Bengaluru Rural districts.
Kollegal MLA AR Krishnamurthy expressed his commitment to prevail upon the state govt and railway minister to revive the project and sanction the required land.” The railway network covers 55 to 60km passing through Chamarajanagar district. The project will help the people of Chamarajanagar get direct railway access to Bengaluru,” he noted.
The new railway network is expected to boost trade, commerce, employment, and tourism in the border districts, as well as Mandya and Bengaluru Rural districts. Chamarajanagar and Kanakapura are famous for cocoon production, sericulture, and granite industries.
Chamarajanagar is also emerging as a granite hub with the establishment of hundreds of industries and is known for its turmeric production, second only to Salem and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The district is also famous for agrarian activities like coconut production and has potential for ecotourism with its three tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, waterfalls, and pilgrim centers like MM Hills and BR Hills.
The railway network project between Hejjala and Chamarajanagar was approved by the railways way back in 1996-97. Initially, the railways had planned to develop a 260km new railway network between Bengaluru and Mettupalyam, passing through Hejjala, Kanakapura, Chamarajanagar, and connecting to Tamil Nadu through Satyamangalam. However, railways dropped the project due to objections from the forest department, and Hejjala-Chamarajanagar line came into focus.
The proposed project requires acquisition of 1,735 acres, including 841 acres in Ramanagara district, 526 acres in Mandya, 225 acres in Chamarajanagar district, and 31.2 acres in Bengaluru Rural district. Although the railways submitted proposals to the respective district deputy commissioners to sanction the required land between 2014 and 2016, the land is yet to be acquired. The project cost was estimated at Rs 1,382.7 crore.