Enhanced Rail budgetary allocation for Bihar,Jharkhand: ECR GM

Bihar and Jharkhand have received 16.56 and 15.57 per cent increase respectively in the railway fund allocations in the budget this year, a top official of the East Central Railway (ECR) said here today.
ECR General Manager D K Gayen told reporters here that Bihar got a hike of 16.56 per cent in railway fund allocations in the Union Budget which also contained the railway proposals as compared to previous fiscal. The allocation of fund for 2017-18 stands at Rs 3,696 crore against Rs 3,171 crore last time.
Likewise, Jharkhand received an enhanced allocation of Rs 2,583 crore for 2017-18 against Rs 2,235 crore last time, an increase by 15.57 per cent, the GM said.

He said there is a target to build 347 km of new line and doubling among others under the zone in the Budget.
He highlighted the share of ECR in all big announcements for Railway for the financial year 2017-18 in terms of installation of plant for disposable of solid waste, installation of solar power on stations and building crossings at unmanned railway crossings by 2020.
ECR comprises of Danapur, Sonepur, Mughalsarai, Dhanbad and Sonepur divisions which fall in Bihar, Jharkhand and Mughalsarai in Eastern UP.

Giving details of construction of new lines, Gayen listed Hajipur-Sugauli of 30 km, Koderma-Ranchi 31 km among others.

Plant for disposal of solid waste would be installed at Patliputra coaching depot under Danapur division.
For promoting E-ticketing under ECR, POS machines have already been installed on 13 counters at Patna junction and 2 at Danapur.
In next few days, 48 more POS machines would be installed in 15 stations, Gayen said.
As part of objective to install solar power at stations, 54 locations have been earmarked under ECR where solar power would installed at station or Railway office.
In pursuance to do away with the unmanned crossings across the country by 2020, a total of 33 such crossings have already been closed under ECR, Gayen said.

Plan has been chalked out for 452 more such crossings in 2017-18 by building Limited Height Subway at 230 locations, placing man at 230 locations, constructing diversion and direct closure at 3 places each, the ECR GM said.