JICA's interim report on dedicated freight corridor by year-end: Lal

New Delhi, July 26 (UNI) The interim report on dedicated rail freight corridors by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would be ready before the year-end, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said today.

During a meeting with Japanese Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa here, Mr Prasad requested him to complete the JICA feasibility study on the dedicated freight corridors ''at an early date and preferably before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Japan slated for the year-end.'' Mr Prasad also conveyed his appreciation for the constructive role being played by the Japanese minister in facilitating the Railways' ambitious project.

A team of consultants from JICA, comprising project management group, intermodal research group and engineering group, arrived in India last month for carrying out a feasibility study on the freight corridors. A team of officials from the Railway Ministry has been set up to coordinate with the study team.

Mr Kitagawa, who is leading a 20-member Japanese delegation, agreed to the Railway Minister's suggestion and said that ''though the study is to be completed in October next year, he will try to get an interim report before the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Japan''.

The Japanese minister talked about threat of terrorism all over the world and conveyed his heart-felt condolences to the next of kin of those killed in the July 11 Mumbai serial blasts.

''Handling terrorism in railways is a difficult task and the ploy should be to ensure checking of the entire area with minimum inconvenience to the passengers,'' he suggested.

He also invited the Indian Railways to participate in the Working Group on Land Transport, a G-8 initiative on transport security, which is basically concerned with terror threat to railways.

In response to a query from Mr Prasad, he said Japan is experimenting with a new technology for railway safety and security.

He also invited railway experts from India to visit Japan and study the new technology being developed for ensuring safety in railways.

Mr Prasad readily agreed to the suggestion.

Japan will also send a team of experts to India for studying the safety angles in view of the new technology being experimented in the country and will also participate in the Conference on Security organised by the International Union of Railways in Delhi in November.

Mr Prasad, referring to the eight-fold initiative for strengthening India-Japan Global partnership agreed to by the Prime Ministers of the two countries in April last year, sought Japan's active involvement in promoting mutual cooperation in the field of railways, including investments by Japanese companies, especially during the India-Japan Friendship and Exchange Year, 2007.

The meeting was attended by Ministers of State for Railways Naranbhai Rathwa and R. Velu, Railway Board Chairman J P Batra and other senior officials.

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