Sonia’s constituency Rae Bareli high on govt schemes,low on development indices

Besides,in Uttar Pradesh,Rae Bareli is the only town after the SP strongholds of Etawah,Mainpuri,Kannauj and Azam Khan’s constituency Rampur to have almost 24X7 power supply—a fact that attracted a rap from the Allahabad High Court recently. In the court’s words,24-hour power supply because of “VVIPs and protocol” was “arbitrary,illegal and illogical”. Few VIP seats come close to Rae Bareli,though.

Although Feroze Gandhi had earlier represented the constituency for two terms,it was in 1967 when Indira Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli that it had its first stint with political limelight. After the death of Rajiv Gandhi,who was an MP from neighbouring Amethi,in 1991,the absence of any person from the Nehru-Gandhi family in electoral politics as well as the weakening of the Congress at both the state and Centre saw Rae Bareli suffer a dip in its fortunes.

The trend changed in 2004 when Sonia won from Rae Bareli with a huge margin,son Rahul swept Amethi and the Congress came to power at the Centre. Since then,despite the Congress’s poor performance in UP itself,schemes have been showered on Rae Bareli at regular intervals. After the largely friendly SP’s ascent to power in 2012,these schemes have picked up pace.

Rail Coach Factory. investment: Rs 1,685 crore

Sonia laid the foundation stone for the factory,the third of its kind in the country manufacturing modern design coaches for the Railways,in Lalganj in February 2007,weeks before the Assembly elections. Following the intervention of the Allahabad High Court,the then Mayawati government agreed to give land on lease for 90 years. On January 27,2009,with the Lok Sabha polls round the corner,Sonia launched construction of the boundary wall.

In November 2012,Sonia again visited the factory,with the first 18 coaches rolling out in her presence. However,those coaches were actually built in Kapurthala and brought to Lalganj and furnished here—the furnishing unit is the only facility fully operational at the factory. Officials say the unit has so far prepared 88 coaches brought from Kapurthala. Now,shells of the first three coaches to be made here are being developed.

Deputy Chief Project Manager A K Singh says more than Rs 800 crore have been spent on the project till now and that it has around 1,000 employees. “A total of 5,000 persons will work in the fully operational factory,” he says.

The lack of facilities in the 542-hectare area of the factory,which includes residential quarters,has been a cause for concern. An official says that as an incentive,the Railways are now giving three advance increments to employees and allowing them the option of retaining the residential quarters at their previous postings for five years for their families. The Centre has also decided to start a Kendriya Vidyalaya to make conditions more conducive for employees.

But one of the employees at the furnishing unit,who shifted from Ahmedabad,is disappointed. “I am a non-technical employee and I am doing the work of a technician because there is no work for me. Transportation is not available and it is tough to get my daughter to school in Lalganj. What makes me more worried is what will happen to this project if the Congress loses in the next Lok Sabha elections,” he says.

Singh says such apprehensions are baseless. “Work on the factory started only in 2010 because of the problem in getting land. It’s just a matter of time and everything will be in place,” he says. The new deadline is December 2014,well after the next general elections.

Forged wheel factory. investment: Rs 1,000 crore

In December 2012,an MoU was signed between the Indian Railways and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited for setting up a forged wheel factory. In the Rail Budget speech of 2013-14,the government announced that the factory,the biggest such plant in India,would be completed within 36 months. The plant would be able to produce 1,00,000 forged wheels every year and generate 500 to 600 jobs.

Railway officials say land for the project has not been identified yet,though some of the land acquired for the rail coach factory may be used.

Myriad railway projects. Estimated cost: Rs 1,500 crore

From setting up a bottling plant,developing a model station to building an underpass to help people reach an Idgah,the Railways has eagerly extended a helping hand to Rae Bareli.

The 2013-14 Rail Budget,termed “Rae Bareli budget” by the BJP,proposed making the Rae Bareli-Amethi route a double-track one,a new line from Faizabad to Lalganj via Rae Bareli and two new trains with stops at Rae Bareli. Earlier,the Railways had proposed an Unchahar-Amethi railway line and a Rae Bareli-Akbarganj line. Connectivity between Amethi-Shahganj via Sultanpur is another railway project planned for the area.

NIFT Centre. investment: Rs 94.22 crore

The centre became operational in August 2007 in a temporary building of ITI Limited. While the institute continues to provide four-year degree courses in fashion design,accessory design and leather design from the temporary centre,work on building a permanent campus has started. The total cost is estimated to be Rs 94.22 crore.

The director of the Rae Bareli NIFT centre,B Bannerjee,says they plan to complete the building by June 2014. Once the permanent campus is up,four more courses will be introduced. Currently,the institute has about 300 students in three undergraduate courses.

Footwear Design and Development Institute. investment: Rs 100 cr

The foundation stone for the campus was laid in 2008 in a 10-acre area in Fursatganj by Sonia and Rahul. “The institute,one of seven FDDI centres across the country,started functioning from 2008. An additional amount of about Rs 50 crore was spent on an international design theatre and other infrastructure. We have about 600 students for undergraduate and post-graduate courses. All our graduates have got placements,” says Assistant Director Manoj Agrawal.

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology. investment: Rs 435 crore

Sonia laid the foundation stone for a permanent,47-acre campus at Jais,about 27 km from Rae Bareli,in February 2008. However,since then,delays have hit the project. Admitting that the cost would increase,General Manager (Projects) P K Sarkar says,“The company that was given the contract for construction has abandoned the project.” The institute meanwhile is running from a leased place in Feroze Gandhi College,providing two undergraduate courses. It is expected to become fully operational by 2015-16,offering seven BTech,six masters degrees,eight MTech/MBA courses and some doctoral programmes.

AIIMS. investment: Rs 823 cr

At the shut gates of the Nandganj Sihori Sugar Mill,guard Rakesh welcomes every visitor,telling them they are at the right place. The proposed AIIMS at Rae Bareli is to come up on the land of the sugar mill. Rakesh hopes that he will be able to keep his job. District Magistrate Amit Gupta says about 100 acres of the mill plus 50 acres from villages would be acquired. An official said the foundation stone is expected to be laid soon.

Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University. investment: Rs 202 crore

Three tractors are speeding on a tract beside the Fursatganj airfield of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA),trying to mow grass that’s about 4 feet tall. An official says work is being done on a priority basis. This is the proposed site of Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University,which was recently cleared by the Union Cabinet. “Around 26 acres of IGRUA land will be used for setting up the university. The government will need to acquire about 150 acres from villagers. However,there has been little progress on that front till now,” the official says.

The foundation stone of IGRUA had been laid by Rajiv Gandhi back in 1985.

Indira Gandhi National University for Women. investment: Rs 500 crore

The Centre last month approved setting up of “the first university in the country exclusively for women”,located at Rae Bareli. A Bill in this regard is expected to be introduced in the coming Parliament session. Rae Bareli District Magistrate Amit Gupta says the project is in its initial stages and a 150-acre plot has been identified in Gurbakhshganj area.

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research. investment: Details awaited

NIPER has been operating from the rented premises of ITI Limited since 2008,but a campus is planned near Bachhrawan. NIPER Project Director P K Shukla says an area of 50 acres has been identified for the project. The state government has agreed to give this land free. Other details are still being worked out,Shukla says.

Lucknow-Rae Bareli highway. cost: Rs 600 crore

Work has begun on making the Lucknow-Rae Bareli highway four-lane. Another highway,between Banda and Tanda which passes through Rae Bareli,is proposed to be made two-lane. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is also working on constructing a ring road for Rae Bareli at a cost of Rs 220 crore.

Mint Spices Park. investment: Rs 19 crore

The foundation stone of the park,to involve an investment of Rs 19 crore over 11 acres by the Spices Board,was laid by Overseas Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi in March. He also inaugurated a Pravasi Bharatiya office,which will offer emigration clearance to workers going abroad and also give certificates to recruiting agents. The park is expected to promote mint and its products.

FM radio station’s foundation stone was laid by Sonia in March this year. Its estimated cost is Rs 11 crore.

ALMOST AT BOTTOM

Rae Bareli ranks among the 10 poorest districts of UP,with 57.78% rural population below poverty line

As per 2011 census:

Literacy rate: Rae Bareli: 69.04%; UP: 69.72%; National: 74.04%

Sex Ratio: Rae Bareli: 941/1,000; UP: 908; National: 947

As per 2007 Human Development Report of UP:

*Rae Bareli in Human Development Index: 0.5230 (55th in 70 districts of UP)

n In Gender Development Index: 0.4899 (51st in 70 districts of UP)

*In Deprivation Index: 68.06 (67th in 70 districts)

‘Nice to feel we belong to VIP seat. But our lives haven’t changed’

While Central largesse has been coming Rae Bareli’s way since 2004,whether these projects have benefited the Congress is another matter.

In the Assembly elections of 2002,when the Congress won only 25 seats out of 402 it contested in the state,it won three out of 15 in Rae Bareli and Sultanpur districts. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections,the Congress tally was nine. The 2007 Assembly elections,which were preceded by the launch of the rail coach factory,did see the Congress improve its tally to 7 out of 15 seats in Rae Bareli and Sultanpur. However,in the state it went further down,winning only 22.

The 2009 Lok Sabha elections,by which time several projects had been announced for Rae Bareli,saw the Congress win Rae Bareli,Amethi and Sultanpur. The tally of the party also improved in the state,with 21 Lok Sabha seats. However,in the 2012 Assembly elections,the Congress was almost wiped out from its stronghold and could win only two seats out of 15 in Rae Bareli,Amethi and Sultanpur.

Less than a kilometre away from the rail coach factory,Naval Kishore (62) opened a shop of kitchen accessories in 2011,hoping for a surge in customers. “The number of employees is small right now and most of them prefer to go to Rae Bareli town for shopping. Those who gave their land for the factory are getting jobs and that is the only benefit that local people have got till now,” he says.

However,Kishore adds,his family has been supporting the Congress and will do so in the next Lok Sabha elections as well.

His son Praveen Kaushal,32,is not as enamoured. He works at his father’s shop as he could not get a job after graduation. “It feels good to see people react on hearing that I belong to Rae Bareli,but there is no extraordinary development in the life of common man,” he says.

Kaushal is willing to concede that the state government may be responsible for this,but is clear that the Congress won’t be getting his or the family’s vote in the Assembly elections.

Gauri Shankar,68,who has been running a tailoring shop with his son for the past two decades,says there has been no change in his life. “Maybe coming generations will benefit but I have not witnessed any betterment,” he says.

BJP leader Girish Narayan Pandey isn’t surprised. The Congress has a habit of winning at least three elections in the name of one project,he says,without thinking about the future. “They had built a sugar mill once. Now,they are planning to construct an AIIMS by removing the sugar mill. Who knows what will happen to AIIMS after the election?” he says.