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Title : Need to provide rail link between Chamarajanagar in Karnataka and Mettupalaiyam in Tamil Nadu.
SHRI R. DHRUVANARAYANA (CHAMRAJANAGAR): On the historic occasion of the inauguration of the Mysore-Chamarajanagar railway link in 1926 by the then Maharaja of Mysore it was envisioned that Chamarajanagar will be further linked with Mettupalaiyam across the Tamil Nadu border soon, heralding socio-economic development of the landlocked forest region of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Since then expansion of railway network has skipped this important link which has both socio-economic relevance and commercial viability.
This link when commissioned will ease pressure on train movement southwards to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, now being handled by Jolarpet-Erode-Kovai section and the Konkan railway route serving coastal Karnataka and the entire Kerala. Another advantage is that both Chamarajanagar and Mettupalaiyam have broad-gauge tracks linked to national railway network.
I urge the Centre to include this proposal in the forthcoming budget allocations.