Union Budget: ‘100 cr for’ 10,000 cr Indore-Manmad railway project, a cruel joke

Indore: The reluctant approach of central government in handling railway projects involving great public interest as well as foreign exchequer earning got exposed in the recently presented Union budget, which included railway budget as well.

In a disappointing turn, the budget, presented on February 1, had just Rs 100 crore allocated for 339-km-long Indore-Manmad railway project estimated at Rs 10,000 crore. Strangely, the apathy was despite the fact that the project once completed would reduce the distance between Indore and Mumbai by about 150 km and thus, avail the shortest route to dispatch export consignment from Pithampur to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Mumbai.

According to pink book of the Railway Budget for 2018-19, Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned for the important project, while as per the detailed project report (DPR) the estimated cost is Rs 10,000, with railway contributing Rs 4983.99crore and the Union shipping ministry the rest.

Criticising the move, experts said that the fund sanctioned in the budget was quite insufficient to complete the ambitious project early, and if the government continues to fund the project in such small amounts after long intervals, the project might take at least next 10 years to complete, with project cost being doubled up.

Importantly, Indore-Manmad Rail Project is the maiden one taken up by recently constituted Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited (IPRCL) by Union ministry of shipping on December 22, 2017. The objective of constitution of the PSU Corporation is to enhance port connectivity and evacuation.

The railway board has approved DPR of the project and forwarded it to railway ministry for its formal approval. The project, which had been conceptualised about 100 years ago, was approved in 2016 by then railway minister Suresh Prabhu in the railway budget. Thereafter the project got speed and its final earth survey was completed last year and subsequently the DPR was chalked out.

HC intervention sought to increase funding

Chief of Indore-Manmad Railway Project Struggle Committee, Manoj Marathe expressed deep disappointment over the paucity of fund in railway ministry. He said that the sanctioned amount was almost nothing against the projects’ estimated cost of whopping Rs 10,000 crore. He said that “My petition on the issue is still pending before Indore Bench of MP High Court and we shall again approach court demanding it to serve notice to railway ministry to increase allocation of funds for the important project.”