By IANS,
New Delhi : The government Friday said lack of funds and bureaucratic hurdles were causing huge price escalations in ongoing railway projects.
“The main reasons for delay have been paucity of funds, delay in land acquisition, court cases and forest clearance,” Bharatsinh Solanki, minister of state for railways, informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
According to Solanki, other reasons for delays in railway projects include adverse law and order conditions and non-availability of material and other economic reasons.
“Ongoing projects undergo cost escalation on account of delays and change in the standard of construction and technology, scope of work, inflation,” Solanki said.
The railways is engaged in various projects, including laying of new lines and gauge conversions, that require about Rs.125,000 crore for completion.