Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday highlighted the multiple problems faced by Konkan railway and requested the Union government to merge the Konkan railway corporation with the Indian Railways, citing similar demands made by Goa and Karnataka state governments. "We have requested union government that Konkan railway should be inducted in railway itself as Konkan railway. At present, it is only a corporation, and that is why it is facing issues of development and extension in terms of doubling of lines and other infrastructure," CM Fadnavis said during a joint press conference with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Mumbai. "Similar demands have been made by Goa and Karnataka state Govt's also," Fadnavis said.The Konkan railway is currently managed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), with Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Kerala state governments being beneficiaries in the autonomous corporation along with union railway ministry. The company was incorporated as a private limited company in July 1990.
All four states made beneficiaries in the company, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, and Kerala, have agreed to merge it with the Indian railways by passing a resolution in their respective state assemblies. Earlier, while addressing reporters in Mumbai, Union Minsiter Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Union cabinet has approved the Ballarshah-Gondia's doubling project being sanctioned with Rs 4,819 crore." He further informed that more than 1 lakh 70 thousand crores have been sanctioned for projects connected to Maharashtra during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term. "PM Modi, in the recent cabinet meet, has sanctioned the Ballarshah-Gondia's doubling project of 240 kilometres, which has been given Rs 4,819 crore," Vaishnaw said.
"With the doubling of Ballarshah and Gondia, we will get a corridor for north to south's movement. With this, the aspirational district, like Vidharba and Marathawada, will be impacted as they will be connected," he added.
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Talking about the total developmental projects, including the bullet train and redevelopment of stations, the railway minister added, "Till now overall, Rs 1 lakh 73 thousand crore worth of projects connected with Maharashtra, including the bullet train and corridors, and the redevelopment of stations has been approved. Rs 1,73,804 crore worth of projects are connected with Maharashtra."