State should continue cost-sharing agreement with Railways for ongoing projects: BJP

State should continue cost-sharing agreement with Railways for ongoing projects: BJP

‘Otherwise, it will take at least 30 years to complete the projects’

If the agreement between the State government and the Centre on 50:50 cost sharing for railway projects is modified now, it will take at least 30 years to complete the ongoing projects in the State.

This delay will result in cost escalation and the total cost of ongoing projects, which is nearly Rs. 22,000 crore now, may go up to Rs. 70,000 crore.

Raising these apprehensions, the Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded that the State government continue the 50:50 cost-sharing formula with the Centre at least for the ongoing projects.

Referring to the recent letter by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, State BJP president Pralhad Joshi told presspersons here on Wednesday that it was unfair for the State to go back on its commitment and insist on modifying the agreement now.

Alleging that the Congress government was playing “divisive” politics at the cost of State’s interests, Mr. Joshi asked, “Why did they not think about getting the agreement modified during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s tenure? The fact that the State government has written the letter as soon as the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre indicates the ill-intentions of the Congress.”

The State government should honour its commitment and continue the agreement for the ongoing projects, he said.

Mr. Joshi said Karnataka was the first State that signed a memorandum of understanding with the Railway Ministry to take up projects on cost-sharing basis. “This model has been emulated by several States and it is ridiculous that Karnataka wants to withdraw this arrangement now,” he said.

Source: The Hindu