Mangalore : Union Minister for Railways D V Sadananda Gowda has said that the budget has allocated Rs 150 crore to the Shravanabelagola–Bangalore railway line. By March 2016, the Mangalore-Bangalore train will ply directly via Shravanabelagola.

Speaking at an interaction with the journalists of Mangalore organised by the Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists Association here on Saturday, he said that the railway link via Shravanabelagola will reduce the travel time to reach Bangalore from Mangalore. The Shravanabelagola–Bangalore link would also boost trade.

The Minister said that a high-level committee will be formed to give suggestions on policy formation, resource mobilisation, cleanliness and FDI.

Stating that the Cabinet has given approval from FDI in railways, Gowda said that the government has to chalk out a policy for the FDI in railways. The FDI will be only for infrastructure development and will not enter into the operating system.

The rail track has traditionally been open for defecation. The conventional toilets on trains allow discharge of excreta on the tracks. Hence, to check it, the railways will install 25,000 bio-toilets in coaches during the year.

The bio-toilets ensure that human waste does not fall on the track. Human waste discharged into the toilets is acted upon by anaerobic bacteria that convert the waste mainly into water and small amount of gases. To improve quality of food served, the government has initiated third party audit of caterers. In the last one week, penalty of Rs 1 lakh each was slapped on 11 caterers for poor quality of food, he said.

 The Indian Railways plans to go for paper-less operation in the next five years. 

The process of digitisation will be completed in the next five years. The Railways will introduce biometric attendance system shortly.

To a query on Railway University, Gowda said that with an aim of providing railway-oriented education, the government is considering setting up of a Railway University for both technical and non technical subjects. “We have already written to the HRD ministry seeking guidelines for the formation of an university. The proposal will get a final touch by December.

On world class station in Mangalore, he said that KITCO Ltd has prepared a project report on developing Mangalore Central Railway Station as world-class station, at an estimated cost of Rs 215 crore. It will be developed on PPP mode. The railway staff have been made to learn regional languages to communicate with the people. The language classes will be held twice a week in all the stations across the country.

MP Nalin Kumar Kateel was also present on the occasion.