[sustran] Rs 265 cr recovered for Rs 44 cr railway bridge in Navi Mumbai

[Vinay Baindur]

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Rs 265 cr recovered for Rs 44 cr railway bridge
*By: *Shashank Rao
*Date: *2011-10-30


*For the last 19 years, CIDCO and Central Railways have charged extra on
every ticket bought by 10 lakh commuters travelling from the city to Navi
Mumbai every day, in a bid to recover Rs 44 crore spent on the construction
of the Vashi bridge. They have amassed Rs 265 crore, and still won't stop*

Rail activist Anil Galgali has written to the Central Railway, asking it to
stop levying a surcharge of Re 1 and Rs 2 on second class and first class
tickets, respectively, for travel to Navi Mumbai from Mumbai.


*The railway bridge between Vashi and Mankhurd on the Harbour Line*

This, after the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and
Central Railways have been jointly charging a surcharge on rail tickets
from 10-lakh odd commuters per day travelling to Navi Mumbai, ever since
the Mankhurd-Belapur rail line was completed at a cost of Rs 45 crore and
the Thane Creek Bridge, popularly called the Vashi bridge, was put into
operation in 1992.

However, over the years, the state government, planning authority and
railways have recovered a surcharge of Rs 265 crore ” almost 6 times the
cost of the project.

"The railways claim that this surcharge has been levied to recover not only
the cost of building the bridge but also laying of tracks and related
infrastructure. This is absolutely wrong since they are government agencies
and their intention shouldn't be about making profits," explained Galgali.

Individual commuters have also approached Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjeev
Naik on the issue. "I have asked the state government to withdraw this
surcharge. Now, the government and CIDCO should take care of any deficiency
on their own," he said.

He has also approached Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on this issue. "The
authorities earn more than Rs 1 crore every month as surcharge from ticket
sales. Plus, instead of levying a new surcharge when the fast corridor on
the Harbour line comes up, money from this surcharge can be utilised
towards that," he feels.

Meanwhile, CR sources say the surcharge will be recovered until the
financial liability of the government and CIDCO is cleared and that there
is no stipulation on the number of years that the surcharge may continue to
be levied.

"Once the state government tells us that their costs have been recovered
and we need to stop collecting surcharge, we will do it," said V
Malegaonkar, chief PRO, CR.

"CIDCO has contributed 67 per cent to the construction of this railway line
and the bridge. If they count interest rates, developmental costs related
to the construction of the railway tracks on the Mankhurd to Belapur
stretch, and other peripheral expenses, the total expenditure to be
recovered is Rs 787 crore.
"This decision was made in a tripartite agreement," maintained CIDCO
spokesperson M Ninawe.