The Chitpur terminal project, railway minister Nitish Kumar’s sop to Bengal after Mamata Banerjee’s resignation, has hit a roadblock, with the state government washing its hands of its financial commitments to it.

“We have tried to reason with the government on sharing funds for the project, but there has been no development. It seems very reluctant to invest,” said Eastern Railway (ER) chief operating manager S.R. Thakur on Friday.

The state government was citing “financial problems” for opting out, he added.

“But the railways should not be expected to shoulder the state government’s responsibility,” Thakur insisted.

The impasse has prompted state chief secretary Ashok Gupta to intervene in the matter.

Realising the gravity of the situation — and fearing that the project may remain unrealised because of the war of words — he met ER and state transport department officials to find a way out of the mess.

According to the project proposal, ER was to have pumped in the money necessary for laying new tracks and construction of platforms, station buildings, bus and taxi terminals and other infrastructure necessary for passenger comfort.

The state government was to have shouldered the burden of shoring up the passenger-dispersal system. This would have included the construction of roads and a flyover to enable smooth entry and exit from the station. The CMDA, accordingly, drew up a Rs 174-crore project.

But trouble began soon after, with the state government demanding that the railway bear this financial burden as well.

ER rejected the demand, saying it was improper for the state government to expect it to take care of amenities outside the station complex.

“Details of the plan were sent to Delhi only after we were assured by the state government that it would share the cost,” said ER chief operating manager Thakur. “We will have nothing to do with the project if the state government does not honour its commitment,” he added.

The railway ministry has already started its part of the work, Thakur said, explaining how keen the Centre was to prevent any delay or cancellation of the project.

Every state government in the country has borne a part of recent railway expansion plans, Thakur said. “Our duty is to ensure that passengers arrive at and leave the new station safely,” he explained. It was the state government’s responsibility to ensure that they “returned home safely”.

But state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya would have none of this. “The railway is going to earn revenue from the project,” he pointed out, asking how the state could then be expected to share the cost.

“At least Rs 200 crore is needed initially for building roads, the flyover and the underpass. We can only provide the land and other assistance,’’ he added.

The chief secretary will hold another round of talks, probably next week, with officials from all the state agencies, including the departments of transport, urban development, irrigation and environment, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, the CMDA and the ER to sort out the tangle.