Indian Railways has agreed to fall in line with the Uttar Pradesh government?s new land acquisition cum resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) policy and will adhere to it while acquiring almost 3,257 hectare of land in the state. The land is for the 1,002-km stretch of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor that passes through the state.
This comes within days of the World Bank approving a $975-million loan for the 342-km stretch from Khurja to Kanpur section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Project. The corridor is to run from Dankuni in West Bengal to Ludhiana in Punjab, covering a total length of 1,835 km. The total cost of the project is expected to be R24,457 crore.
While briefing state chief secretary Anoop Mishra and other officials on the status of the project, senior members of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC) stated that while the land acquisition for this project will be done under the Railway (Amendment) Act, 2008, which is different and substantially better than the vexed Land Acquisition Act, 1894, the railways has a clear mandate that if any state government has a land policy which is better, it will have no problems in adopting it for projects that pass through that state.
The DFCC officials also sought the assistance of the state for expediting its progress and getting the project completed by 2016 as per its timeline. Uttar Pradesh is the biggest beneficiary of the freight corridor, with almost 30% of it passing through the state.
Speaking to FE, RK Gupta, DFCC managing director, said that out of the entire 3,300-km length of the two freight corridors (eastern and western), Uttar Pradesh will have a majority share of 1,002 km. ?The project will pass through 20 districts of the state and the approximate investment in UP will be to the tune of R20,000 crore. It will not only boost the infrastructural development of the state and the power sector in general but also generate huge employment,? he said, adding that on completion, it will be the backbone for coal movement to power houses and would spur industrial growth.
Stating that the Railways has taken steps to minimise the quantum of land acquisition, Gupta said the proposed alignment is almost parallel to the existing railway network.
?Taking the alignment parallel to the existing line leads to utilisation of available railway land and minimises the need for additional land acquisition and resettlement,? said another Railway official.
The railways team have asked for early approval from the state for cost sharing of overbridges on the corridor’s alignment as well as direction to district commissioners, who also double up as arbitrators, to prioritise land acquisition and compensation distribution. The officials have also asked that other state authorities be asked to cooperate for the early clearance of utility diversion plans such as power lines, pipelines, etc.
The objective behind the two freight corridor projects is to create rail infrastructure catering solely to cargo movement.
It will also segregate freight infrastructure for a focused approach on both passenger and freight businesses of the railways and provide seamless end-to-end solution to customers. While the Japan International Cooperation Agency has signed a loan agreement for the Western Freight Corridor, the World Bank has approved the loan for the first phase of the Eastern Corridor. The second phase would be undertaken from Khurja to Ludhiana and from Kanpur to Mughalsarai later.
?There will be three logistics parks on the eastern corridor: One near Dadri, the other at Kanpur and one at Ludhiana,? added the DFCC official.