Title - Rail projects in jeopardy after Mamata quits UPA-II

KOLKATA: Will the 'Mamata Express' lose steam in Bengal after the firebrand Trinamool Congress chief's decision to quit UPA-II?

Railway officials in the state are a worried lot. Projects worth several thousand crores are currently under way in the state and commitments have been made. If railway minister Mukul Roy resigns from the Union cabinet on Friday, there is always the risk of funds drying up.

In Mamata's words, 16 railway factories were planned for the state. On several occasions, she had pointed out that these factories would bring about industrialization and generate jobs in the state, resulting in economic development.

Even in the Trinamool meeting on Tuesday, after which Mamata announced her decision to quit, Roy is said to have pointed out that the railway projects in the state may be affected. In fact, the railways had a major role to play in the Trinamool's coming to power in the state in 2011. In fact, Mamata had said that she would build a Metro coach factory on a 600-acre plot in Singur that was earlier allotted to Tata Motors for the Nano factory.

"Several Metro Railway projects are under way in Kolkata alone. The Joka-BBD Bag stretch is progressing quite fast. Work has also started for the New Garia-Airport (via Rajarhat) stretch. The other stretches are Noapara-Dakshineswar-Barrackpore and Noapara-Airport-Barasat. The project cost for the Joka-BBD Bag stretch is Rs 2,619 crore. It will take around Rs 8,638 crore to complete the other three projects. Of the Rs 11,257 crore required for the four projects, Rs 9,600 crore has already been allocated. We are apprehensive that the projects will be affected after a while. After all, a railway minister from outside the state will not have so much interest in the development of Kolkata," pointed out a senior official.

Construction of the networks will not be sufficient. Funds will also be required to procure rakes and create other facilities. The Union cabinet also took a decision recently to hand over the Centre's share of the East-West Metro link in Kolkata to the railways. "The railway projects in the state had got a fresh lease of life after Mamata Banerjee took over. We suspect that the projects will be in dire straits if Roy resigns," the official added.

The existing north-south Metro link will also require additional funds to replace the old rakes with air-conditioned ones. In the past, the Kolkata Metro was neglected by railway ministers. When Mamata was railway minister in the NDA government, she had announced extension of the stretch from Tollygunge to New Garia. Though construction progressed, there was little effort in actually running trains on the stretch in the next 10 years. Only in 2009 when Mamata took over as railway minister again was the project completed.

"It is the same with other projects. The rail connectivity between Tarakeswar in Hooghly and Bishnupur in Bankura, which would be an alternative and shorter route from Howrah to Bankura, Purulia and beyond, was also announced by Mamata in 1999-2000. In the next 10 years, there was no progress in this stretch. After she took over again in 2009, work was speeded up and trains are now running up to Arambag from Tarakeswar. On Sunday, Roy said in Arambag that more than 165 pairs of new express trains have been introduced in the last three years. A large number of EMU locals were also introduced during this period," another official said.

South Eastern Railway is all set for the inauguration of a DEMU factory in Haldia while an electric locomotive component factory at Dankuni under Eastern Railway is already operational. Another factory to manufacture diesel locomotive components in Dankuni is being built.

"The other major projects include a wagon component factory at Jellingham, a factory at Budge Budge, a midlife rehabilitation workshop at Anara, a 1,420MW super critical power plant with NTPC in Adra, a wagon factory in Kulti, an EMU coach factory in Kanchrapara and a wheel and axle plant at Buniyadpur in Dakshin Dinajpur. It was Mamata who insisted that the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor be extended up to Dankuni from Sonnagar in Bihar. For this, a freight terminal is also being constructed in Dankuni. We fear that either these projects will be scrapped or future railway ministers will only allocate token amounts in budgets," the official said.