Rail Minister blames Bengal’s land delays for ₹500 cr loss, announces threefold budget hike

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has revealed that Kolkata Metro is facing an annual loss of approximately ₹500 crore, primarily due to delays in land acquisition by the West Bengal government. The lack of timely land acquisition has led to the stalling of multiple essential railway projects in the state, causing significant financial losses and delays in infrastructure development. This issue has been repeatedly highlighted as a primary concern for the progress of the state's railway network.

Vaishnaw also provided details regarding the increased financial allocations for railway projects in West Bengal. From 2009 to 2014, under the UPA 2 government, the annual allocation for railway projects in the state was ₹4,380 crore. However, for the financial year 2024-25, this allocation has been significantly raised to ₹13,941 crore, a more than threefold increase. Despite this increase in funding, the progress of key projects has been hindered by the state government's inability to complete land acquisitions in a timely manner.

For several key railway projects, the required land acquisition has been a significant obstacle. Of the total 3,040 hectares of land required for proposed railway projects, only 640 hectares—approximately 21%—have been acquired so far. The remaining 2,400 hectares (79%) are still pending acquisition. This delay in land acquisition has affected the timelines and completion of several railway projects, which are crucial for enhancing connectivity and improving infrastructure in West Bengal.

Specific projects where land acquisition has been slow include the Nabadwip Ghat-Nabadwip Dham new line, for which 106.86 hectares of land is needed, but only 0.17 hectares have been acquired. The Chandaneswar-Jaleswar new line requires 158 hectares, yet no land has been acquired so far. The Naihati-Ranaghat third line requires 87.83 hectares, with only 0.09 hectares having been acquired to date. These significant delays in land acquisition have led to prolonged project timelines and reduced progress.

In addition to these projects, the Balurghat-Hili new line project requires 156.38 hectares of land. Of this, 67.38 hectares have been acquired, leaving 88 hectares still to be acquired. For the Sainthia and Sitarampur bypasses, which require 22.28 hectares of land, only 2.22 hectares have been acquired, leaving 22.06 hectares still pending. These delays in land acquisition are causing a backlog in several key railway infrastructure projects that are essential for improving transportation in the region.