New Delhi: The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has urged Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee to make adequate provisions for construction of two dedicated freight corridors in her rail Budget proposals.
"The Minister should clearly spell out her plans as to how she intends to acquire over 10,000 hectares of land for construction of two freight corridors, one for Delhi to Mumbai and the other one from Delhi to Kolkata," Assocham President, Sajjan Jindal said in the city on Wednesday.
"The land acquisition exercise will have to be taken in consultation with Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan among others," Jindal added.
In a representation submitted to Mamata, the chamber said the proposal has been discussed for the past four to five years but nothing concrete has emerged.
"The dedicated freight corridors now demand immediate attention of the Minister especially at times of meltdown so that works start on it, employment is created and smooth flow of goods and services through these two corridors is ensured," Jindal said.
According to Assocham, the construction of the corridors will ensure 250 million tonnes of freight being carried annually, as against 50 million tonnes now.
The chamber has also suggested that as the projects involve an investment of up to Rs 50,000 crore, the Government should approach the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for financial assistance.
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