From CK Nayak
New Delhi: With elections over in three North Eastern states recently, including in Meghalaya and the exit of ‘Didi’ from the UPA Government, there is nothing for the remote landlocked region in this year’s Rail budget presented by newly appointed Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, a first in seventeen years for the Congress party.
In the budget there were only few new trains passing through Assam and increase of frequencies of some trains. But it has nothing much for North East India in so far as new projects are concerned.
The Railway Minister has only given assurance for some ongoing projects in the region.
On the other hand, the hike of over five per cent on freight charges will hit the landlocked region very hard as the region heavily depends on railways for getting the supply of essential commodities. Prices of several commodities including cement and steel are likely to go up as transportation will become costlier.
Nearly 66 per cent of the essential goods of North East India come through railways while 30 per cent come through roadways. Waterways accounts for only three per cent and one per cent comes by way of airways.
The border states with huge presence of security forces from outside who consume a sizable portion of such supplies will add to the already high prices, analysts and different chambers of commerce said.
Surprisingly, there is no major announcement for the Dudhnoi-Mendipathar, Byrnihat-Shillong and Tetelia-Byrnihat rail line targeted to end by March 2017. Only about 60 crore rupees have been spent for the 19.75 km Dudhnoi-Mendipathar rail line last fiscal, which is about one third of the total cost.
The 46.05 km railway line between Tetelia and Byrnihat has also not received much fund though the completion year is targeted to be next year only. Similarly there is no funding for the 108.04 km Byrnihat-Shillong big ticket rail line in this year’s budget.
Bansal has announced that Manipur will be linked by railway while the gauge conversion of Lumding-Silchar-Jiribam route, a national project, is under progress. The Minister also sought national project status for Rangia-Murkongselek gauge conversion.
New railway track between Dimapur to Tizit is proposed besides doubling of New Bongaigaon-Kamakhya railway track via Rangiya. But there is no mention of the Lanka-Sutnga rail lines in Khasi-Jaintia hills.
During the regime of Ms Mamata Banerjee the North East region received special attention. There were projects in the region included as national projects and the Lanka-Sutnga rail line was announced.
Ten rail projects in the North East region were declared as national projects and creation of North-East Region Rail development Fund was initiated to ensure necessary funds for timely completion of National Projects in the region.
But Bansal in his budget speech said that for the first time, the border state of Arunachal Pradesh has been brought under railway map with the commissioning of Harmuti-Naharlagun line this year itself. He also hoped that the Finance Ministry will provide enough funds for such high-cost and low return projects in the North East.
Railway lines in Meghalaya are of special significance since the landlocked state does not have a single inch of rail track. Secondly, the rail lines could provide big relief to the extremely congested National Highway 44 dotted with cement plants and coal belt.
As expected most of the MPs from the region have criticised the rail budget since it has ‘ignored’ the North East.
The budget focuses only on polls bound mainland states, more particularly the VVIP constituencies like Amethi and Rai Bareli, seats of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi respectively.