Railway curtails 166 cr from ECoR’s budget in last 5 months

BHUBANESWAR: Railway Ministry has curtailed 166 crore from the East Coast Railway’s budget within last five months. In November 29, the railway budget of ECoR has been curtailed by 60 crore which was the third time in a row within five months. Prior to this, the Ministry had curtailed Rs 6 crore in September and Rs 100 crore in July.

The Ministry has curtailed Rs 17 crore each from two new lines Talcher-Bimalagarh and Khurda-Balangir in two different installments, while Sambalpur-Talcher railway line doubling project has lost 34 crore during last five months.          

The Ministry has made re-appropriation of fund for all zones in November 29 this year. It is found that no fund has been allotted to two zones- ECoR and WCR except curtailment. ECoR, spread over the State, has been given step-motherly treatment again even though it gives highest revenues and lowest operating ratio, sources said.

After this curtailment, Railway Convention Committee (RCC) has fixed the target date for completion of Khurda Road-Begunia, first phase of Khurda Road –Bolangir project, most demanded project of the State to March 31, 2013. Expenditure of 32.6 crore out of 38 crore has been done till November 30 for this project and only 5.4 crore has been remained. Yet, Ministry curtailed again and for which the future of this project is quiet uncertain.

The reason for fixing target date after curtailment is nothing but to criticise the sentiment of people of the State, said Samajwadi Party State president Rabi Behera.

During last two curtailments, Behera said, congress leaders of the State have justified that the curtailments had been made for all zones due to financial crisis of Indian Railways. But this time, more funds have been allotted to projects of other States, which give less revenue than Odisha, he said, adding, “Our State gives maximum returns, but does not have sufficient fund to complete the projects.”

According to the sources, Odisha is the only State of which maximum projects have been given to Rail Vikash Nigam Limited, but it is unable to do any progress. In some projects, like Sambapur-Titlagarh and Titlagarh-Raipur projects, RVNL could not spend a single penny, yet more budgets are being allotted in every year without any curtailment only for enjoyment of officers, deputed to RVNL. The officers have been given bonus up to Rs 1 lakh per head in RVNL, where as in Railways, only staff has been given around Rs 9000 per head, said an official of the railway.