Uttar Pradesh seems to be on the BJP government's priority list with the
politically crucial state bagging a significant number of projects,
worth around Rs 4,950 crore, in the railway budget for 2016-17. The high fund allocation for the second consecutive year for several railway infrastructure projects, including construction of lines and doubling of tracks, reflects the Modi government's eagerness to regain power in the state which is scheduled to go to polls next year.
Apart from UP, the states which got significant share in the budget include mineral-rich Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand as the state-run transporter wants to maximise its revenue from efficient and faster freight movement in these states.
The focus of the current railway dispensation is to ensure assured funding for bankable rail projects which can be completed in the next three to four years.
The move will ensure generation of more revenue due to higher passenger
and freight traffic and will also help the government showcase its
achievements in modernising the transporter before the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls.
The expansion work in UP also suits the railways' plan to decongest the
high density Delhi-Howrah route which will benefit Bihar and West
Bengal read more.
हिंदी में रेलवे बजट 2016
