Budgetary support for unfinished rail projects proposed

NEW DELHI: Indian Railway is facing a major challenge to arrange funds for about 60 projects sanctioned on socio-economic considerations under the Remote Area Rail Sampark Yojana scheme envisaging an investment of about Rs 20,000 crore.

Considering the huge requirement of funds, the Standing Committee on Railways has recommended that budgetary support to the railways be adequately enhanced so that the projects taken up especially in hilly, tribal and backward areas could be completed as early as possible.

The committee has also suggested the constitution of an expert committee consisting of eminent economists and representatives of the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance to explore new sources of funding and suggest remedies so that all the sanctioned projects are completed in a maximum period of five years.

The committee also noted in its report that some uneconomic branch lines connected with the main line had not been converted into broad gauge so far and said such branch lines be identified and converted into broad gauge lines so that it may lead to socio-economic development of the areas.

The panel felt that Railways can improve the efficiency and productivity by decongesting the routes which are over saturated and by removing the bottlenecks by linking the missing links in doubling, gauge conversion, electrification and signalling and telecommunication system and better management of terminals on the viable routes.

The committee expressed its concern over the slow progress of national projects and recommended timely release of funds by the Centre and expeditious execution of these projects by the Railways.