Communist Terror: Railway project delayed by Maoist vandalism

Railway project delayed by Maoist vandalism
Ranchi: The ambitious Rs.11 billion Koderma-Hazaribagh-Ranchi railway project in Jharkhand is being delayed by Maoist guerrillas, say officials.

Hardly 15 percent of the work on the 200-km railway project has been completed, a decade after work on it began during former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime.

"The project is getting delayed for many reasons but the most vital cause is Maoist violence. The Maoist rebels have destroyed property worth Rs.30 million in one of the three segments in which work is on," said a railway official.

"The damage was done in the last six months," he added.

"The contractors who have been assigned the jobs complain of monetary demands from the Maoists. Failure to pay means damage to properties," he said.

The railways also blame the state government for its failure to provide adequate security to contractors to complete the project.

The project, a joint venture of the railway ministry and the state government, would link Hazaribagh and Koderma with the state capital Ranchi.

Railway project delayed by Maoist vandalism (New Kerala)

Tags: