Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Bantwal and Subrahmanya Road railway stations in Dakshina Kannada under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) on Monday.
The Bantwal station will be redeveloped under the ABSS scheme at a cost of Rs 28.49 crore, while Subrahmanya Road will undergo redevelopment at a cost of Rs 26.16 crore. This event also marked the foundation laying for the redevelopment of 554 railway stations and the inauguration/dedication of 1500 Road Over Bridges (RoBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) from across the country.
Dakshina Kannada (DK) MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, speaking on the occasion, highlighted the significant investments made in the region over the last decade. He stated that Dakshina Kannada has received Rs 2,650 crore for various railway projects. The region, which falls under three railway divisions—Palakkad, Mysuru, and Konkan Railway Corporation—has seen considerable progress in railway electrification. The work from Mangaluru to Palakkad, along the Konkan railway stretch, has been completed, and the work from Mangaluru to Bengaluru section is currently in progress.
Reflecting on his tenure as MP, Kateel noted, “During my first tenure as MP with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, DK district had received Rs 4,500 crore for various development works. In the past 10 years under Modi’s tenure, DK district has received Rs 79,000 crore.”
The redevelopment of the railway stations is expected to significantly enhance the travel experience and boost the overall development of the region.
