Trivedi proposes new projects for home state, constituency

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi may have veered away from his leader West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal-centric approach to focus on mopping up of resources, but he has kept people of the home state happy by promising new trains, manufacturing units and other initiatives.

The 61-year-old, widely travelled management graduate from Texas in his maiden budget proposed setting up a coaching terminal and a museum in north 24 Parganas district’s Naihati to celebrate the 175th birth anniversary of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the composer of India’s national song Vande Mataram.

He also proposed a factory in Shyamnagar in public-private-partnership mode to manufacture next generation Propulsion System for use in high power electric locomotive, which will enhance the production capacity of the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.

Both Naihati and Shyamnagar fall under Barrackpore, his Lok Sabha constituency.

“Survey report for extension of metro railway from Barrackpore to Kalyani is being finalised,” Trivedi said, giving another piece of good news to his electorate.

Continuing to rain sops, the minister announced a weekly Barrackpore-Azamgarh Express via Jhajha, Ballia and Mau.

Besides, the state got seven of the 11 new lines listed in the budget. They included one between Kandiami and Nandigram – the stage for the intense peasant unrest which helped Trivedi’s party Trinamool Congress to win power in West Bengal by ending the 34-year rule of the Left.

The West Bengal government of Mamata Banerjee has inked a deal with a private entrepreneur for setting up a Rs 26,000 crore worth package of projects including an eco-tourism park and a 2000 MW power plant at Nayachar Island in East Midnapore district.

West Bengal also got 10 other express trains, one of the 17 gauge conversion projects, six pairs of passenger trains. A new line between Burdwan and Katwa is to be completed with the cooperation of the state government.

The budget would bring smiles to the railway commuters of Kolkata and its suburbs who have been promised 44 new services as part of strengthening the city’s suburban network.

For the Kolkata Metro users, the minister proposed to introduce 50 new services and resolved to undertake surveys and feasibility studies for development of coaching terminal at Dankuni.

On green initiatives to protect environment, he proposed to introduce a ‘Green Train’ (with low emissions diesel locomotive and coaching stock with bio-toilets) to run through the forests of North Bengal.

The state also got one of the five proposed 72-mw capacity wind mill power plant to be set up in a wind-rich area of Bengal.

Regarding the ongoing projects, Trivedi proposed to utilise and augment the electric loco Ancillaries Unit of CLW being set up at Dankuni for fabrication of locomotive shells and assembly of three-phase locomotives for manufacturing of new generation 9,000 HP locomotives under transfer of technology from Japan.

He also mentioned that the under construction Diesel Component Factory at Dankuni and the wagon manufacturing factory at Kulti and fiat bogey frame unit at Budge Budge will be fully commissioned in 2012-13.

Trivedi proposed to take up Joka-IIM-Diamond Park Metro extension as the first leg of Joka-Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Metro link.

“Extension of circular railway from Remount Road to Santoshpur via Garden Reach, Metiabruz has also been taken up,” he added.