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Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 22
Despite Indian Railways repeated claims that it has been making efforts to save on its energy requirement, the audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed that the national transport monolith has lost more than Rs 3,000 crore on savings by way of delay in implementing electrification projects and running rakes with diesel locos on electrified routes.
According to the CAG report tabled in Parliament on Friday, it was found that Indian Railways run its passenger and goods trains with diesel locos on routes and sections across various zones, where electrification projects have been completed. The total length of such sections is 15,286 km.
“There were instances of sub-optimal utilisation of the electrified sections. In 11 electrified sections, only up to 59 per cent trains were being run with electric traction. The shortfall in achievement of projected savings with respect to present utilisation was Rs 404.05 crore in 14 projects,” the report said.
Coinciding with this the report also observed that on an average: “16 completed projects got delayed by 32.12 months”. It further said: “Cost overrun up to76.62 per cent was noticed in 14 projects out of the total 16 completed projects. In 10 ongoing projects, the targeted date of completion was over 21 to 57 months. Due to delay in completion of the projects, the projected savings of Rs 3,006 crore could not be achieved.”
Moreover, the CAG also noted that in a number of cases of such delayed projects, the “balance activities, such as completion of work of transmission lines, completion of work Traction Sub Station (TSS), electrification of sidings etc were yet to be completed” despite the electrification projects were given clearance by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). “Many of these balance activities were critical for effective project utilisation of the electrified sections,” the report added.
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