NEW DELHI, March 9 ? Rail projects in the North-East are likely to suffer further delay and cost-overrun as they are hit by serious financial crunch and the department has been forced to knock at the doors of the Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) for additional funds to complete pending projects in the region. While the north eastern States continue to vent their frustration over delay in implementation of projects and the meagre funds earmarked for mega projects in the successive Railway Budgets, the Ministry has sought to move the Centre for funding some of its pending projects. The projects in the North East that have suffered delay include the Bogibeel road-cum-rail bridge, the gauge conversion projects, construction of several new lines, the setting up of Rangiya Rail Division to name a few. The Bigibeel road-cum-rail bridge, meanwhile, is likely to be recast. It is now envisaged as a single track rail and double-lane road bridge.
In a first move of its kind, the Railway Ministry has sought to fish in the Corpus funds created for the region by asking for funds to complete the Lumding-Silchar section. It wants funds from the Non-Lapsable Pool of Central funds to complete the project. The proposal has been submitted, and the Ministry is currently awaiting a response from DONER.
However, Silchar MP Santosh Mohan Dev, who has been following the progress of the project, claimed that there was remote possibility of the DONER getting involved in it. The Minister-in-charge for DONER, Arun Shourie, has hinted at inability of the ministry to fund the project out of the Non-Lapsable Pool because of the huge investment involved, Dev added. Instead, moves are now on source the funds from international aid agencies including the World Bank, he disclosed. The former Union Minister, however, expressed disappointment over the manner in which the Railway Ministry has been handling the project. Considering the rate at which the project is being financed, it will take another 20 year to complete it?, he said.
In current year?s Budget, a provision of Rs. 70 crore has been earmarked for the project estimated to cost Rs 1,100 crore. Last year, the Railways spent about Rs 44.88 crore on the project. According to Railway Ministry?s estimate, it would require Rs 648 crore to complete the gauge conversion work on the remaining 198 km including alignment between Migrendisa and Ditokcherra. The project envisages conversion of 248 km of gauge conversion work. The much-awaited Bogibeel bridge project, work on which is scheduled to get underway from April as announced in the current year?s Railway Budget is also expected to be hit by fund crunch. Following cost escalation of the project, it is now estimated to cost Rs 1,500 crore. In the current year?s Budget, a provision of Rs 40 crore has been made.
Meanwhile, RITES, which has completed final location survey, has asked the Ministry of Railways to recast the report for single line track and two-lane road traffic. The project is also yet to be cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). A peeved secretary of the North East MP Forum, Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, charged that Railways was deceiving the people of the region. ?When the Bogibeel project was announced the Central Government made a commitment and earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for it. How can they now claim that they have no fund?, he asked. The Rs. 40 crore that has been earmarked for the project is for construction of an approach road to the project and not for the project itself, he pointed out. Referring to the move to recap the project, he said they are going to oppose it describing it as a move to buy time and revise the project cost. In the name of recasting the project, the Railways would take another year, he equipped.
Meanwhile, fate of Rangiya Rail Division appears to be have been sealed owing to resources crunch, if remarks made by Minister of State for Railways, Digvijay Singh was any indication. Mangaldoi, MP Madhab Rajbongshi said that during a meeting with the members of the North-East, the Minister said they had no funds to implement the project. The MP claimed that he has conveyed this to the Rangiya Rail Division Sangram Parishad urging them to revive their movement. ?All that they seem to be interested in is issue press statements apparently fearing not to displease top Railway officers?, he alleged. Although these three are the major railway projects that have run into road-block other projects which seems to have been derailed included several vital ones that proposed to bring a few of the NE States into the Railway map of the country.
The 15.5 Km Dudnoi-Depa BG line is also likely to be delayed as the Railways has claimed that the Meghalaya Government is still in the process of acquiring land. The project is now estimated to be completed in about two years. On the long list of pending project are the 119 km Kumarghat-Agartala line, 22 km Harmuti-Itanagar BG line, 22 km Diphu-Karong BG line and the 216.88 km New Moynaguri-Jogighopa line. Also on the pending list is the completion of the gauge conversion work on 628 km Lumding-Dibrugarh including linked branch lines, the 280 km New Jalpaiguri-Siliguri-New Bongaigaon section and the 84 km Katakhal-Bhairabi project. The two projects that have been completed included 181 km Guwahati-Lumding and 21 km Chaparmukh-Haibargaon gauge conversion projects.