Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, for the second time, publicly requested Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to share the cost of Bengaluru Suburban Rail on a 50:50 basis. Speaking at the inauguration of the new Bengaluru-Hassan line, Mr Prabhu said, “In principle, three technical approvals have been given for Suburban Rail. The foundation stone for this will be laid in the next two months, sometime in May.”
However, the Centre and state are still in disagreement over splitting the cost. The MoU signed in January between the state and Railways stated 80:20 as the cost sharing pattern, with 20 per cent coming from the Centre. But there is still no consensus on who will pay how much for Chukubuku, touted to be the ultimate solution to traffic congestion and pollution. Different stakeholders point out to different reasons for the delay.
For starters, there seems to be a political drama being played out. A strong supporter of the suburban rail, BJP MP P.C. Mohan said, “It is the lethargy of the state government. They must come forward and talk to Mr Prabhu. It is a state issue, so they must have a discussion over cost sharing."
Mr Sanjeev V. Dyamannavar from the advocacy group Praaja RAAG said, “It is becoming a political game along with the cost-sharing dispute between the state (Congress) and Centre (BJP). Mr Prabhu promised Suburban Rail but did not allocate anything in the Union Budget.”
Suburban rail or any railway work is implemented much easier in places where the party at the Centre sees a vote bank. If the BJP comes to power in Karnataka and then implements suburban rail, the credit goes to them, he opined.
How the foundation stone will be laid in May before deciding on cost sharing is a question that remains unanswered. Mr Prabhu said that it will be implemented on 20% (state), 20% (Railways) and 60 % (loan borne by state) basis. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for Rs 345 crore was announced in the state budget this month. Prior to this, Rs 100 crore was allotted by the state last financial year.
Mr Krishna Prasad from the Karnataka Railway Vedike said, “Without constituting an SPV, the fund will not be given to start the project. The DULT is responsible for forming the SPV." Interestingly, no other state that has a suburban rail has an SPV for it. The Railways bears the cost of the local train in cities like Mumbai.
Mr Srinivas Alavilli, campaigner at the forefront of Chuku Buku Beku, said, “They are getting caught up in forming an SPV, who should run it, who should acquire land and how to split costs. We are going to speak with the minister to expedite the process."
Mr Alavilli and Mr Dyamannavar both feel that 50:50 cost sharing is the standard way to go. “Of the 50%, 25% can be borne by the state, 25% by the Centre and the rest 50% will be a loan shared by both. Also, they can start work with the existing fund," Mr Alavilli said.
Divisional Railway Manager Sanjiv Agarwal said that there is a policy process that is taking time. “A lot of states are asking for suburban rail. The ministry has created a draft policy on the financial model for it. The SPV is getting delayed as this policy has been circulated to all the states, with many raising objections to the model," he said.
