Hopefully with fresh availability of funds and easing off of the contagion, projects will be completed soon
The Union Budget seems to have opened the floodgates of funds for the Railways which will enable it to complete 57 pending projects. Towards this end, the highest-ever capital expenditure plan of Rs 2,15,058 crore, comprising of Rs 1,07,100 crore as budgetary support and the remaining from internal and extra budgetary resources, was announced by the Finance Ministry. Out of this, Rs 40,932 crore has been allocated for new lines, a jump of over 56 per cent over last year; Rs 5,263 crore is for traffic facilities, which is a 156 per cent jump over last year; Rs 26,116 crore is for doubling and Rs 7,122 crore is earmarked for new Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs). ROBs/RUBs will see many level crossings, that are a source of avoidable accidents, being eliminated. Not only will this improve the Railways’ safety record, they are vital for the convenience of the public and necessary in cities and other built-up areas where railway lines run through.
This Budget will also ensure that the infrastructure of the Railways is “future ready” i.e fully geared up to accept and efficiently run private sector trains — if and when they become a reality — in addition to its own network of over 22,000 passenger and freight trains. All these 57 projects, at various stages of execution, are expected to be commissioned over the next 26 months, starting with the new, 32-km-long Hansdiha-Godda line, the 29-km-long Omalur-Mettur Dam patch doubling and the two-km-long Netravati-Mangalore section, all of which are to be commissioned this month.
Among the major gauge conversion projects is the 170-km-long Ahmedabad-Botad one, which will be converted from narrow gauge to broad. Initially estimated to cost Rs 567 crore, it has been in the pipeline for a long time and is expected to be completed in March this year. Similarly, the 104-km-long Dhasa-Jetalsar gauge conversion is expected to be completed by May. The much-delayed 169-km-long Mansi-Saharsa gauge conversion, completed by March next year will bring these neglected areas finally into the mainstream by connecting them to the vast all-India broad gauge system.
While 306 km of the New Rewari-New Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor was inaugurated by the Prime Minister last month, the 127-km-long New Rewari-Dadri and 308- km-long Palanpur-Makarpura sections are proposed to be commissioned by March next year, bringing export-import cargo between the northern hinterland and the ports on the west coast, that much closer.
Electrification of the rail network has been Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s main directive to the top brass and towards that avowed objective another significant step will be taken through completion of the Ayodhya-Varanasi, Palanpur-Kandla Port-Mundra Port-Bhuj and Hospet-Hubli-Vasco electrification projects. All will be commissioned by March next year.
As usual, land acquisition has been one of the main causes for delay in projects, added to which there has been the general slowdown in all construction and field work due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully with fresh availability of funds and a easing off of the contagion, stalled projects will be completed as scheduled, making Indian Railways “future ready” to run the additional private trains safely and punctually.
(The writer is former member, Railway Board. The views expressed are personal.)