Karnataka lags in rail line electrification in South India

HUBBALLI: Karnataka, which has elected 25 MPs, the highest for the BJP in South India, has registered the lowest electrification of railway line compared to other southern states.
South Western Railway (SWR) has 3,037 route kilometres (RKM) in Karnataka. Out of its total 3,603 route km, SWR has registered only 40.13% electrification as on December 31, 2021. It stands 17th out of 18 railway zones in the country.Goa, in which SWR has 189 RKMs, has not yet got electrification.

According to a document released by the Indian Railways on its website on January 17, Karnataka stood 23rd in electrification with 42.49% of rail route electrified. Telangana is at 11th with 88.68% of electrification, Andhra Pradesh is 13th with 85.62%, Kerala at 14th with 81.82% and Tamil Nadu at 16th with 75.44%. National average electrification rate is 73.9% as on December 31, 2021.
Arun Javgal, a Kannada activist in Bengaluru, said Mysuru was first princely state in the country to have a railway organisation and to put rail line of thousands of kms. “This organisation was merged with the Indian railway in 1950 and since then Karnataka is getting step-motherly treatment in railway facilities. In the current scenario, all our 28 MPs have failed to ensure electrification of rail line,” he said.
Kalyan Karnataka Grahakara Vedike president Sunil Kulkarni stressed on need of incorporating electrification right from DPR stage while constructing new raliway line or line doubling to minimise the cost.
‘25% growth in 5 years’
Krishna Prasad KN, member, Karnataka Railway Vedike, Bengaluru, termed it as a progress as electrification was just 17% in the state five years ago. “We have seen growth of 25% in five years. Moreover, the office of chief project director, Railway Electrification was set up in Bengaluru a year ago. So, we expect 100% electrification in Karnataka by the end of 2023, as assured by the Railway Ministry,” he said.