Marhaura, Madhepura projects not abandoned: Railway Board

Patna, Feb 2 (PTI) Railway Board today denied reportsthat its diesel locomotive manufacturing factory at Marhauraand electric locomotive manufacturing unit at Madhepura inBihar were being abandoned and said they would be completedon PPP basis.

"The reports that Railways has planned to abandon orshelve the two ambitious mega projects are totally misleading,concocted and based on surmises ... It is a false propagandathat these projects will be sheleved," Railway Board ChairmanVivek Sahay told PTI over phone from New Delhi.

The two projects were announced in the budget by formerRailway Minister Lalu Prasad.

While the diesel locomotive manufacturing factory atMarhaura in Saran district would involve an expenditure of Rs1,400 crore and the electric locomotive manufacturing unit atMadhepura Rs 2,025 crore and will be decided upon in thecoming budget.

Sahay said Railways had earlier decided to completethese two major projects in Bihar on its own, but later it wasdecided on PPP.

A committee of experts was recently set up to study theterms and conditions and submit the report within a week forexecution of the two projects, besides another at Kanchraparain West Bengal.

He said out of the budgetary allocation made during2010-11 land have already been acquired and purchased for thetwo projects in Bihar.