Chief Minister Hemant Soren has approved the report of the committee constituted under the chairmanship of Development Commissioner to give suggestions on the construction of railway projects and expenditure on them in future in the State of Jharkhand. In the report presented by this committee, the most important railway projects will be taken up for construction on the basis of sharing 50-50 per cent expenses by the Central and State government.
At the same time, to connect the district headquarters of the State, where there is no railway connectivity yet, to start important railway projects as joint ventures and to identify, plan and develop rail projects within the state, the committee has given detailed suggestions in the report with reference to the role of anchor by JRIDCL.
A dedicated report by the committee said that the Central and State government will have a 50-50 percent share in the expenditure on the construction of railway projects that can play an important role in the socio-economic development of the State. If the state government's share in the expenses incurred in the construction of such railway projects increases, it will be made through railways or joint ventures.
Suggestions have also been made in the committee's report on connecting the district headquarters including Simdega, Chatra and Khunti in the State, which are not connected with railways. With this, the State government's participation in the schemes for rail connectivity in remote areas of the state will be less, but JRIDCL will play a role in identifying such remote areas.
Rail projects, which are not financially profitable but are important in terms of critical connectivity, capacity enhancement and socioeconomic development in the State, will be taken on the joint venture's debt equity concept. The amount for the expenditure of such railway projects will be raised through external sources - private / government stakeholders and loans.
In view of the needs of the State, the joint venture of the State-JRIDCL (State Government and Ministry of Railways) will play the anchor role in identification, planning and development of railway projects. The share of the State government and the Ministry of Railways in the joint venture to be built for such railway projects will be in the ratio of 51-49. The finance of these railway projects will be on debt equity basis.
The committee has the members of the Planning and Finance Department, Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms Department, the Secretary of the Road Construction Department and the Secretary of the Transport Department. This committee has submitted its suggestions to the state government in the form of report on important railway projects for Jharkhand, increasing rail connectivity in the State and the expenditure on it.