Title - Panel prod on rail plans

Ranchi : The parliamentary standing committee on finance has expressed strong reservations against the tardy pace of work on several rail and road projects and the functioning of banks in Jharkhand. A 22-member delegation led by former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha today asked officials concerned during a review meet to take corrective steps immediately. Sources said the panel took exception to the poor progress of rail projects, especially the Koderma-Hazaribagh-Barkakana-Ranchi (189km) line. The other rail projects under the scanner were Ranchi-Lohardaga-Tori (113km), Koderma-Giridih (105km), Koderma-Tilaiya (14km), Dumka-Rampurhat (64km) and Godda-Hansdiha (30km) lines. Sinha, who represents Hazaribagh in the Lok Sabha, has been in the forefront of demands for rail connectivity to his constituency. The Dumka-Deoghar rail line is the only new rail project that has been completed after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in November 2000. Gauge conversion has been completed in the Ranchi-Lohardaga section. But it is proving to be of no help for many passengers coming to Ranchi, since the gauge conversion between Lohardaga and Tori is incomplete. Also, long-distance trains coming to Ranchi have to take the lengthy Barkakana-Muri route. The committee is also said to have expressed unhappiness at the poor progress of national highway projects, especially four-laning works. The contract for four-laning of NH-33 between Ranchi and Jamshedpur was awarded about a year ago, but little is visible at the ground level other than felling of trees and dug up stretches. At the Hazaribagh end, four-laning work has almost been completed up to Apollo hospital, but the condition of remaining portion is pitiable. Sources added that while reviewing performances of banks, the panel observed that though the credit-deposit ratio had improved slightly in recent years, it was far below the national average. Priority sector lending needed more attention, the committee noted. "I cannot disclose the findings of this meeting. We have suggested corrective measures wherever we found lapses. We will soon submit our report to the Lok Sabha Speaker. Before this, we had similar meetings in Guwahati, Shillong and Calcutta," said Sinha.