The numbers in the rail budget carry a Maguirean message for pending Metro projects in Calcutta: "Show me the work and take the money!"

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu has allocated Rs 240 crore for the New Garia-Airport project, which has made some progress despite land-related hurdles.

The allocation for the Joka-BBD Bag corridor is Rs 70 crore, less than half the amount sanctioned last year. No prizes for guessing that the project has hardly moved over the past 12 months.

The East-West Metro has the largest allocation of Rs 500 crore, albeit almost half of what the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation had asked for. Railway ministry officials said the outlay was far less than the Rs 920 crore sought by the implementing agency because the second phase of the project was yet to get going.

"Mass transit projects are one of the priorities for the ministry. But like all other ongoing projects, the policy is to allocate funds in a realistic manner," a senior official of the railway ministry said from Delhi. "The numbers you see are proposed allocations. The progress of work will be reviewed and the amounts earmarked in the budget revised accordingly."

Sources in Delhi said the Narendra Modi government wanted to send the message that funds wouldn't be a problem if the Bengal government helped remove encroachments and other hurdles for infrastructure projects to go ahead.

According to available data, just Rs 1,326 crore has been spent over the past three years out of the total budget of Rs 12,000-odd crore for four Metro projects, excluding the East-West corridor.

"Encroachment has affected the progress of work. Construction has been possible only at sites that are clear," said Radhey Shyam, the general manager of South Eastern Railway who holds additional charge of Metro Railway.

Only one project has seen a manifold jump in allocation: Rs 80 crore has been earmarked for the Noapara-Baranagar-Dakshineswar-Barrackpore project, four times the amount allocated last year. Railway officials overseeing the project said the increase in allocation was primarily for work between Dakshineswar and Baranagar, where encroachment is less of a problem than at other sites.

"Last year, we couldn't find a contractor to start work between Baranagar and Noapara because of encroachments. So, there was hardly any allocation in the budget," a railway official said.

The presence of 500-odd shanties on the Noapara-Baranagar stretch has blocked the project for four years and forced the exit of two contractors. Simplex Infrastructures is the third contractor to be engaged after the railways decided to get work started in sections where encroachment isn't a problem.

The biggest hurdle is on the Baranagar-Barrackpore stretch. The Mamata Banerjee government has refused to allow BT Road to be dug up for construction of tracks because of underground utilities running down the length of the thoroughfare.

The East-West Metro project too has made little headway between Howrah Maidan and Sealdah, prompting the railway ministry to allocate less than half of what the KMRC had expected.

"We weren't convinced that the second phase of the project will start anytime soon. If there is a breakthrough, the allocation can be increased," a ministry official said.

The Bengal government has refused to shift encroachers from Brabourne Road and Bowbazar, delaying the start of work. Construction company Afcons moved Calcutta High Court last year, seeking access to the proposed construction sites between Howrah Maidan and Central. The state government has stuck to its stand that the route alignment be changed to avoid the land logjam.

Japan International Cooperation Agency, the main funding agency for the East-West Metro, has said it won't approve a change in the route alignment if encroachment is a factor in any of the alternative sites proposed by the government.

Terminals

The railway minister has earmarked Rs 75.5 crore for a proposed terminal at Santragachhi and Rs 50.8 crore for Shalimar. In the last budget, only Rs 2 lakh had been allocated for Santragachhi and Rs 1 lakh for Shalimar.

Officials of South Eastern Railway neither project saw any activity during the last financial year because of a shortage of funds.

MONEY FLOW KEEPS PACE WITH WORK DONE

A guide to what the railway budget for 2015-16 holds for Metro projects in Calcutta and where they stand