West Bengal minister blames Centre over JNNURM

West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim today blamed the Narendra Modi-led NDA government for discarding sanctioned JNNURM projects in the state worth Rs 1,100 crore. "The Modi government has written to us that all sanctioned JNNURM projects will be reviewed and sought fresh DPRs from the state," Hakim told reporters outside the Assembly here.

He said the value of such sanctioned projects was Rs 1,100 crore, which included major flyovers in the city which were yet to be completed. As a result of this action of the Centre, the state would be burdened by the same amount as the government was committed to complete them, Hakim said.

Commenting on the railway budget presented in the Parliament yesterday, he said the state had been deprived. He said allocation of funds in the budget was extremely poor for the three ongoing metro railway projects which would only extend the completion time and lead to cost escalation.

Hakim said the KMDA had written to the railway ministry seeking reimbursement of cost of repair of the arterial E M Bypass in the city caused by the progress of the Garia-Dum Dum Metro corridor.

The minister said the state government was planning to make Howrah a mega city like Kolkata.