Rlys want law change for speedy land acquisition

With the location survey of the eastern and western parts of the dedicated rail freight corridor in its final stages, the railway ministry has proposed an amendment to the Railway Act for faster acquisition of land.

The ministry has suggested that the provisions for land acquisition should be similar to those in the NHAI Act, which says: "Where the central government is satisfied that for a public purpose any land is required for the building, maintenance, management or operation of a national highway or part thereof, it may, by notification in the official gazette, declare its intention to acquire such land."

The ministry has circulated a draft Cabinet note to the ministries concerned and the Planning Commission. The amendment is likely to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament.

Though the railway ministry has been chalking out plans for this ambitious project since the past two years, it has not started land acquisition. With the corridor supposed to run parallel to the Golden Quadrilateral routes, covering the four metropolises, the ministry will have to acquire thousands of hectares. Land acquisition takes time due to local issues and the shifting of utilities.

Apart from the ongoing survey, Rites (the government consultancy for transport and infrastructure) has submitted its feasibility report on the project, while Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica), which has also undertaken a feasibility study, is to submit its report later this year. Therefore, it is all the more imperative for the ministry to begin laying lines at the earliest (the deadline set by the ministry to start work is October this year).

Through the proposed amendment, special organisations will be set up in each state falling under the jurisdiction of the eastern and western corridors of the project. These bodies will be controlled by a special purpose vehicle called the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd, created by the ministry for implementing the project.

Under the freight corridor project, 5,270 hectares is to be acquired for the western corridor (Delhi-Mumbai), while 3,563 hectares is to be acquired for the eastern corridor (Delhi-Howrah). The ministry has initiated this amendment because construction of the initial sections of both these corridors is scheduled to start from October,.

The ministry was initially planning to start construction of the two corridors in late 2005.

Observers say with the ministry having already negotiated with the Japanese government for a loan of Rs 22,000 crore for the project, it has to start work on it to convince the Japanese authorities about the feasibility of the project. Though the loan has not yet been received by the ministry, it may be needed at a later stage, in case the project exceeds its budget.