Centre made provision of Rs 3,244 crore for Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi railway route: Nitesh Rane

Kolhapur: Minister for fisheries and port development Nitesh Rane said, "Centre has made a provision of Rs 3,244 crore for the Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi railway route, and the land acquisition works will commence as soon as the code of conduct for ZP elections is over. State govt will also provide the same amount in its Budget."Rane, who is also the guardian minister of Sindhudurg, addressed a press conference at his residence in Kankavali at Sindhudurg on Monday, and said, "During the review meeting held in the ministry regarding port development, a decision was taken regarding the Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi railway line. At that time, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said 50% of the cost of this project will be borne by Central govt and 50% by state govt. Out of the total Rs 6,500crore cost of the project, 50%, ie about Rs 3,244 crores, was provided in the Union Budget. State govt will also announce its share in the upcoming state budget".He said the chief minister had spoken to the Union railway minister and insisted on Centre also making provisions for this. He said state govt will provide the remaining funds through the Railway Board, and that the project will give a boost to port development. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Fadnavis took an important decision for the development of Konkan in a true sense, and that the railway line will connect Konkan and western Maharashtra."We held a meeting with the district collectors of Kolhapur and Sindhudurg, as well as the officials of the state railway board, using video conference. Now that there is provision in the Union Budget, the state govt will also provide its share. Therefore, the land acquisition process will be started after the model code of conduct is over," Rane added.The Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi railway line was approved in the 2016 Union Budget by then Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, but the work was stalled. The survey of the planned railway route, Vaibhavwadi-Kolhapur, was conducted in 2016 by a private company. The planned railway route is Vaibhavwadi, Sonali, Kumbharwadi, Kusur, Umbarde, Mangvali, Upale, Ainari (Tal. Vaibhavwadi), Saitawde, Kale, Bhuye, Kasba Bawda, Market Yard, and Kolhapur.The Vaibhavwadi-Kolhapur railway line will be 106km long, with 10 railway stations. The railway line will have 26 tunnels and 5 flyovers.Rane said the Budget also made a huge provision in the port and shipbuilding sector. He added that it has been decided to launch a seaplane scheme to boost Konkan tourism development, and that this will connect the coastal areas of Konkan, such as Mumbai-Sindhudurg, Mumbai-Raigad, and Ratnagiri, in terms of tourism.