25.2.10

Mamata proposes PPP for Railways

In order to boost implementation of various projects, railway minister Mamata Bannerjee has proposed a number of schemes under public-private partnership. According to Citi India economist Rohini Malkani, the move could expedite the implementation of projects. She said that special emphasis on PPP and the proposal to set up a special task force to clear investment proposals within 100 days might take care of the administrative and procedural delays. The major projects under PPP are diesel multiple unit factory in Sankrail, refrigerated container factory at Budge Budge, dedicated freight corridor between Sonnagar-Dankuni, six high-speed passenger rail corridor, rail-axle factory in Jalpaiguri, mid-life rehabilitation workshop for old coaches at Anara and multi-level parking complexes at stations in large cities. The Rail Budget proposed to set up a National High Speed Rail Authority for monitoring of implementation of infrastructural projects. Under PPP, companies from steel, cement, engineering and construction will benefit the most, provided the projects are taken up for implementation. Tata Steel MD H M Nerurkar said the budget attempted to lay a roadmap for strengthening infrastructure to meet the growing demand of industry. However, IDFC pointed out that no clear measures have been announced regarding the timeline of investments.

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