Sikkim Railway projects delayed

SNS, NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH 2013: Two railway projects linking Sikkim with the rest of India are set to be inordinately delayed. A new railway line project linking Sikkim's capital Gangtok with Rangpo in the eastern part of the state bordering West Bengal cannot be taken up as the finance ministry has not agreed to consider it a National project, the railway minister, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, told the Lok Sabha this week. 

Sikkim is one Indian state without a rail head. A survey for the Rangpo-Gangtok project of 69 km length was completed in 2010-11. 

As per the survey report, the cost of the project was assessed at Rs 4165 crore with a negative rate of return of (-) 11 per cent. Interestingly, another railway project linking Sivok near Siliguri in West Bengal with Rangpo despite being taken up as a national project is held up for environmental clearance. This Rs 3380.58 crore project is to be executed by Ircon. 

Till March 2012, the total expenditure incurred on the project was Rs 52.63 crore. While for fiscal 2013-14 the target set for the entire country for construction of new lines is 500 km, for all the north-eastern states it is only 11.4 km. In respect of doubling projects the N-E states have got only 20.15 km as against 750 km for the entire country, Mr Bansal told the Lok Sabha.