Kolkata

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday alleged that several railway and metro projects in West Bengal were stalled for years due to a "lack of cooperation" from the previous TMC government, and asserted that work would now be expedited following what he described as a change in the state's approach.

During a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna, Vaishnaw claimed the railway projects in Bengal had faced repeated hurdles over permissions, land issues and legal challenges under the TMC regime, which he dubbed 'vikas virodhi' (anti-development).

He also said sixty next-generation trains would be introduced for the Kolkata Metro in the next five years.

"The previous government had blocked all forms of development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has plans for Bengal, and that is evident from the Rs 14,205 crore allotted for railway projects in the state. Under the UPA government, Bengal got Rs 4,000 crore," Vaishnaw claimed.

Highlighting the pace of metro rail development in recent years, the minister said the expansion work had accelerated significantly after 2014, when Modi became the PM.

"Works for the Kolkata Metro started in 1972. In 42 years, only 28 kilometres of work were done. After Modi assumed office as Prime Minister, the projects were expedited. In 12 years, the Kolkata Metro expanded for another 45 kilometres. This is what you call development work," he said.

Vaishnaw alleged that even routine clearances had been delayed earlier, impacting key metro and railway works.

"The TMC government, unfortunately, never gave us permission for many projects. In some cases, they even moved courts," he said.

He cited the Chingrighata stretch of the Kolkata Metro lines as an example of prolonged delays.

"For the Kolkata Metro project at Chingrighata, we planned as per the Kolkata Police's advice. Despite that, the TMC moved the Calcutta High Court and later approached the Supreme Court. They did not want commuters to get the benefits of the Metro rail," he said, adding, "I had said in Parliament that the TMC is 'vikas virodhi'."

The union minister said the situation began to change after the first BJP government was formed in the state last month, enabling faster execution of pending works.

"Now, when a change has come in Bengal, it has become our responsibility to fulfil the dreams of PM Modi, and we will work together," Vaishnaw said.

He expressed confidence that long-pending procedural bottlenecks were being cleared.

"The NoC (no-objection certificate), which was just paperwork, was also stalled by the previous government. That has been solved. Problems around land acquisition have also started getting resolved," he said.

Vaishnaw said the Ministry of Railways would now push infrastructure work at full speed with the cooperation of the state government.

"We will expedite the projects at maximum speed. The chief minister is eager and very cooperative," he said, adding that during a phone call following the recent election results, Adhikari had assured full support for railway projects.

Vaishnaw said railway development in the state would now see accelerated implementation, including station redevelopment and new services.

"Reconstruction of 102 railway stations will be carried out," he said.

The central minister also highlighted the expansion of premium train services in the state.

"Vande Bharat sleeper train and Amrit Bharat train were first introduced in West Bengal. Today, nine Vande Bharat Express (normal/seater) trains and one Vande Bharat Express (sleeper) train are operational in Bengal, and 13 Amrit Bharat trains," he said.

The union minister, who travelled in the Kolkata Metro train from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport after reaching the city this morning, said, "In the next five years, 60 next-generation trains will be introduced for Kolkata Metro. Today, I took the Kolkata Metro. We will bring in a big revamp for it. This will prove to be very beneficial for Kolkata and its surrounding areas."

He also referred to proposed high-speed rail corridors linking Delhi with Varanasi and Varanasi with Siliguri, saying they would significantly reduce travel time.

"These high-speed corridors will connect Siliguri with New Delhi in six hours," he said.

Vaishnaw also referred to the East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor, saying it would connect West Bengal's Dankuni with Surat in Gujarat and boost industrial and trade movement across several states.

"This dedicated East-West freight corridor from Dankuni to Surat will greatly benefit states like West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh," he said.

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The minister said 100 per cent railway electrification had been achieved in the state and assured continued investment in new trains and infrastructure. "In the coming days, we will introduce new trains, new stations and facilities," he said.

Vaishnaw added that inputs from legislators had been compiled into a booklet for planning future railway works in the state.