Kolkata/New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused Sunday the BJP government at the Centre of depriving West Bengal of rail projects over the last few years. The Trinamool Congress said allocations have been made only for some projects in Union Budget 2021-22. This has been done with an eye on Assembly elections in the state.
Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja made the accusations in Kolkata. She told reporters that nominal financial allocations have been made for West Bengal’s railway projects, which were announced earlier. She alleged that BJP-ruled states are getting the lion’s share of funds for railway works.
“While presenting the Budget, the BJP government makes allocations based on the fact whether a state is going for elections or not. Eastern states, including West Bengal, have been deprived since 2016-17. Some projects have been announced in the 2021-22 Budget with the Assembly polls in mind,” Panja said.
Panja claimed that the BJP government has announced some new railway line projects for Kolkata-headquartered South Eastern Railway for 2021-22. This has happened because the elections are round the corner. She said since 2016-17 West Bengal has been ignored in budget allocation for Railways.
The minister also claimed that the Metro Railway projects in and around Kolkata are facing inordinate delay in completion. They have been granted a total of Rs 1,330 crore for 2021-22 in the 2021-22 financial year. Assembly polls are due in the state in April-May this year.
The allocation of Rs 6,636 crore to West Bengal is the highest-ever funds earmarked for the state in the history of Indian Railways. This was stated by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. He had also blamed successive West Bengal governments for the delay in rail projects in the state.
Accusing the Centre of ‘doublespeak’, Panja said that the BJP government ‘does not believe in cooperative federalism’. The projects in BJP-ruled states are getting sustained allocation. However, those in other states are facing natural death owing to lack of funds,” she said.
The minister alleged that the East West Metro corridor connecting Sector V in Salt Lake with Howrah Maidan was announced by Mamata Banerjee during her stint as the Rail Minister in 2009. However, it missed five deadlines for completion of the project. It led to around 100 per cent cost escalation.
Taking to Twitter, TMC MP and national spokesperson Derek O’Brien said, “In election season, BJP’s tourist gang are touting ‘record Railway allocation’ for Bengal. The truth is, multiple rail projects have been shelved in Bengal and funding choked all these years.”
Posting two documents, O’Brien has highlighted ‘How Bengal has been deprived of Railways funds for years’. In the document, the Rajya Sabha MP has highlighted how over one dozen rail factories across Bengal, initiated by Mamata Banerjee when she was the Minister of Railways, have received only a token financial allocation this year.
“The new rail coach manufacturing unit at Kanchrapara had been allocated Rs 74 lakh in the last budget. This year the allocation is just Rs 1,000. (One thousand rupees, not a typo!),” O’Brien said. He further said in Budget 2020 the Centre shelved 20 new connectivity ventures and 10 upgradation projects launched by Banerjee as Minister of Railways, especially in rural Bengal.
“In Budget 2019 the Sealdah Coach Repair Factory – One thousand rupees Rail Museum in Bolpur – One thousand rupees! Coach Washing Workshop in Howrah – One thousand rupees! The list goes on,” he said.
In 2020-21, four new projects were announced for SER but all of them went to Odisha and not Bengal. .
“The BJP government has allocated funds very slowly for it since 2014. Kolkata Metro received an outlay of Rs 850 crore for 2019-20 which came down to Rs 750 crore in 2020-21. Come election year and this outlay is Rs 1330 crore,” O’Brien pointed out.