Rail Budget: CPI(M) MPs meet PM, want Bengal projects on track

“In the past four years, no new project has come up in Bengal. The PM told us that he, too, agrees that infrastructure in Bengal needs to be strengthened,” said CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury. The letter handed over to the PM states that “indifference to the pending Railways issues in West Bengal” has caused serious resentment among the CPI(M) MPs”.

The prominent demands made by the Left relate to extension of Dedicated Freight Corridor up to Kolkata Port and Haldia Port, construction of Fourth Terminal at Majherhat, a separate suburban terminal at Salt Gola (Howrah), a coaching terminal at Santragachi, and extension of Kolkata Metro from Dum Dum Junction till Dakhineswar. In addition, the

Left’s wishlist includes six new lines and doubling each, electrification on three routes, introduction of new trains and increasing the frequencies of others. What has further irked the Left is the Railways ministry’s decision to take over the administrative control of Bharat Wagon & Engineering Company Ltd (BWEL), located at Patna, while ignoring two similar units located in West Bengal— the Burn Standard Company Ltd and Braithwaite and Company Ltd.

“The Standing Committee has recommended that the three public sector wagon manufacturing units should be taken over by Railways since they depend on orders from the Railways which also happens to be their only customer. The Indian Railways have manufacturing units for locomotives and coaches but not for wagons,” said CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia, who also heads the Parliamentary Committee on Railways.

“While taking over Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company, the Railway minister has argued that Railways will need more wagons in future. Going by the same logic, the other two units in West Bengal should have also been taken over by the Railways,” Acharia said, adding that the takeover of these units by Railways would have meant assured and timely orders for them.

Also, while this year’s Rail Budget proposes eight new trains for West Bengal, Left leaders argued that the state will only get two new trains while the rest will only run via the state. Non-inclusion of projects like extension of Metro to Barnagar, new daily train to Murshidabad, new direct trains between Haldibari and Kolkata and new Jan Shatabdi train between Siliguri and Kolkata, and new Express train between Malda and Siliguri has drawn adverse reaction from the Left.