27 February 2015

RAILWAY BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS FOR NF RAILWAY

The Union Railway Budget for 2015-16, which was tabled in the Parliament today, provided proposals for considerable increase in allotment of funds for the projects already sanctioned in Assam and Northeastern region.While presenting the Budget, the Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that Indian Railways is committed to provide rail connectivity to all the Northeastern States. After Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalya have been brought o­n the railway map of India this year, the Barak Valley would also be brought o­n Broad Gauge by March this year and work for connecting the remaining States of the region is also progressing well.
Special emphasis has been laid for the Doubling of tracks over N. F. Railway. Two new works have been sanctioned - (1) Bongaigaon – Goalpara – Guwahati (176 km) at an estimated cost Rs. 1832 crores & (2) Digaru – Hojai (102km) at an estimated cost of Rs. 946 crores. As the Guwahati – Digaru and Lumding – Hojai Patch Doubling works had already been sanctioned earlier, the sanctioning of the Digaru – Hojai Doubling will ensure double line for the complete Guwahati – Lumding section.
For the three Patch Doubling works already sanctioned in the New Jalpaiguri – New Coochbehar – Samuktala Road section in North Bengal, Rs. 395 crore have been allotted this year.
 The total fund allotment for Doubling works over N. F. Railway is Rs. 509 crores which is 26% more than the allotment made last year.
A total outlay of Rs. 4486 cores have been proposed for the already sanctioned works of construction of New Lines over N. F. Railway which is 9% more than the funds allotted for 2014-15.
An outlay of Rs. 701 cores has been proposed for Bogibeel Bridge project for 2015-16 which is 17% more than the outlay for 2014-15.
A new Goods Terminal Siding has been proposed for Azara at an estimated cost of Rs. 34 cores.
Considering the Safety implications, significant emphasis has been laid o­n manning of Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) in the Budget and a total of 306 UMLCs over N. F. Railway are proposed to be manned. Details of the proposals for N. F. Railway are as under:
Sl No.
State
Section
Number of UMLCs proposed to be manned
1
Assam
Rangapara North – Harmuti
45
2
Harmuti – North Lakhimpur
6
3
Balipara – Bhalukpong
6
4
Tinsukia Division
60
5
Lumding Division(Jagiroad sub-division)
50
6
North Lakhimpur – Morkongselek
19
7
Alipurduar Division (Assam State)
21
8
West Bengal
Alipurduar Division (West Bengal State)
35
9
West Bengal & Bihar
Katihar Division
64
30 Light Road Over Bridges in lie of Level Crossings have also been proposed for Katihar Division including Eklakhi – Balurghat, Katihar – Kumedpur, Katihar – Jogbani, Barsoi – Radhikapur and Jalpaiguri Road – Haldibari sections.
One subway in lieu of Level Crossing has been proposed between Kokrajhar – Salakati in Assam.
In order to augment train maintenance facilities and thereby enabling running of more trains, o­ne additional pit line has been proposed for Dibrugarh.