Budget 2012: Big funds to Metro rail projects

New Delhi: The Urban Development Ministry got a substantial increase of Rs 874 crore in its annual budget with majority of the amount envisaged to be spent on construction and extension of Metro network in cities across the country, including Delhi.

The total plan outlay for the ministry, which partly owns all Metro networks in the country along with the respective state governments, is Rs 7,729 crore as against the last year’s allocation of Rs 6,855 crore.

A major chunk of the funds that have been alloted to the ministry will be invested in Metro Rail Corporations of Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur and Kochi. A total of Rs 3,164.57 crore will be infused into these corporations as Central government’s equity.

Delhi Metro, which has a huge expansion plan of its existing network, tops the list by bagging Rs 1,112.57 crore as equity. Bangalore will get Rs 900 crore and Chennai Rs 990 crore as equity, the finance minister said in his 2012-2013 budget.

Mukherjee also announced a grant of Rs 100 crore for the Delhi Metro, whose Phase-III project that envisages construction of another 103 km of Metro network in capital has begun.

The ministry would give Rs 63.61 crore to the National Capital Region Planning Board, while Rs 179.97 crore is expected to be spent on other Urban Development Schemes across the country.

The ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has been allocated Rs 88 crore, while the Director of Estates will get Rs 50 crore.

A fund of Rs 1,628 crore has been alloted for construction of buildings belonging to various ministries, while Rs 603 crore is earmarked for water supply and sanitation in Metro networks across the country.

The government also alloted Rs 2,030 crore as pass through assistance for Metro projects with Delhi Metro being earmarked Rs 749.12 crore, Bangalore Rs 570.88 crore and Kolkata Rs 100 crore.

The ministry also alloted Rs 2,116.69 crore as budgetary allocation and Rs 2,395.20 crore as non-budgetary allocation to the Delhi Metro.

PTI