Rail projects under DoNER scanner

BK Handique Guwahati, Sept. 7: The NF Railway is likely to face the music for lagging behind on key projects even in those areas of the region where, unlike Assam’s North Cachar Hills district, there is no law and order problem. DoNER minister Bijoy Krishna Handique will take up the matter with NF Railway representatives at a meeting at Lumding in Assam’s Nagaon district tomorrow, sources in the ministry said today. He would then apprise the Prime Minister’s Office about the status of these projects along with remedial measures. The meeting, the sources said, is in consonance with the UPA government’s priority to ensure time-bound implementation of its flagship programmes. A delivery monitoring unit was set up in the PMO early this month for this purpose. Infrastructure development and the Assam Gas Cracker project in the Northeast come under this unit. The implementing ministries will present the first report to the PMO by the first week of October and then in the public domain through a website, the sources added. The importance being attached to the meeting can be gauged from the participation of the deputy secretary in the ministry of home affairs, A. Kanojia, Assam chief secretary P.C. Sharma, director-general of police Shankar Barua, senior representatives of the railways, army, police and the CRPF. A few public representatives have also been invited to the meeting. The meeting will mainly focus on the Lumding-Silchar (201.03km) gauge conversion project, which started in 1996 and is scheduled to be completed by 2012. Besides, the 73km Bogibeel road-cum-railway bridge, the 33km Harmuti-Itanagar broad gauge line, the 98km Jiribam to Imphal (Tupul) broad gauge project, the 109km Kumarghat-Agartala new line, the 52.70km Sivok-Rangpo new (broad gauge) line will also come up for review. The sources said the NF Railway and the local authorities could face some uncomfortable questions from the participants over delay in projects in trouble-free areas. “What explanation does the NFR has for tardy progress in trouble-free areas?” a source asked. A railway official said the NF Railway was ready to explain its side of the story. He cited poor accessibility to construction sites, the overall security and less number of working months (October-March) as some of the reasons for the delay in certain pockets. “We have done reasonably well in most areas,” he added. Handique told The Telegraph that he was going to Lumding with an “open mind” and would submit his report to the PMO based on the outcome of the review. “It is a review of ongoing projects since the Centre is very concerned about the development of the region. I am going there with an open mind and with a few questions of my own,” he said.