NDA govt laid railway tracks 11.5 % faster than UPA: RTI

Indian Railways under NDA's initial three-year rule did 11.5% faster track laying work which includes laying new tracks, doubling the existing lines, and converting narrow gauge to broad gauge, than the Congress-led UPA government, an RTI response has revealed.

In a reply to an Right to Information (RTI) application, it was informed that the Railways has laid 7,666 km of tracks during 2014-17 (NDA's rule), which is 794 km more than the UPA regime between 2009 and 2012.

The Railways has set a daily target of laying 9.5 km of tracks to complete its ambitious line doubling and capacity expansion projects earmarked for the next financial year.

For the next financial year, the total track laying target has been set at 3,500 km whereas the track electrification target has been set at 4,000 km. The target is significantly higher than the current one, where railway is constructing around 2,000 km of new tracks.

However, it can be recalled that during Independence Day celebrations which was held at Red Fort, the Prime Minster Narendra Modi had said railway tracks are being laid at double the speed.

But data from the ministry of railways do not provide any evidence to that claim. The data reveales that the railways' achievement under the UPA regime was 27% more than the target which encouraged the government to set a target at 2,301 km in 2010-11, 31%.

According to a former member of the Railway Board, said,''It outdid the target and laid 2315 km length of tracks. But after that there is a constant decrease in the target leading to considerable decline in achievements as well.''

Meanwhile, the Railway officials said that they are confident of outdoing it as they did in the past.

OneIndia News