The Hindu Business Line : Nilgiri Railway stretches may go private

Indian Railways is considering a move to invite private companies to develop stretches of area that it owns surrounding the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR). The NMR, which is one of the oldest mountain railways in the country, connects Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam. It was declared as a World Heritage Site last year.

Several tea companies and resorts, including the Park Group, Holiday Inn, Sterling Holiday Resorts and Tata Tea, are learnt to be interested in the venture that includes taking over certain stretches of the track and stations for beautification, apart from offering catering services at the stations, sources said.

The companies would be allowed to develop lookout points as well as put up advertisement boards along the stretches. "Of course, the advertisements would have to aesthetically gel with the area," said an official. The proposal, mooted by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), however, has to be approved by the Railway Board.

Bids for budget hotels

The IRCTC also plans to invite bids from hoteliers for setting up budget hotels at Udhagamandalam, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Coimbatore, Guruvayur, Kollam, Kozhikode and Mangalore. While the tenders would be invited soon for Kanyakumari and Udhagamandalam, the land has been identified for budget hotel locations at Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Coimbatore, whereas the land identification process is on for other cities, said another official.

The IRCTC also plans to invite bids for setting up food plazas at Kozhikode, Kannur, Erode, Kollam, Kottayam, Tirunelveli and Salem soon.

"We are keen to have participation from local entrepreneurs who offer standardised, good-quality food. The idea is to ensure that eatables at the stations offer the local flavour," said the official.

Bids for smaller, fast-food outlets are being planned at stations including Alappuzha, Aluva, Badagara, Chengannur, Nagercoil, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara, Tellicherry, and Tirupur. The IRCTC has started the process of setting up budget hotels, food plazas and smaller food outlets on a competitive bidding basis.