PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1. Over Rs 70,000 crore Railway projects of strategic
importance stuck in funds crunch and red tape
YASHODHARA DASGUPTA, ET Bureau Dec 17, 2013, 10.31AM IST
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(Over Rs 70,000 crore worth…)
NEW DELHI: Over Rs 70,000 crore worth of railway projects that would improve defence mobility and
commercial interests have been crawling along for years - in some cases over 15 years - majorly due
to a lack of adequate funding and and bureaucratic red tape. Most of these projects, in the North-East
and J&K, were even categorised as National Projects that would get separate funds from the Centre
and identified as railway projects in border areas with 'strategic importance'. In one case, a project
that was.sanctioned back in 1994-95 has only just touched the halfway mark.
At the time when they were declared National projects, the aim was to connect the North East with the
railway network. But these projects have gained larger significance even in terms of India's Look-East
policy of connecting India with other South Asian countries to exploit trade and commerce activities.
For instance, the Rs 4,478 crore Jirbam-Imphal project is only 27% complete since 2003-04 when it
was sanctioned even while Imphal is being looked at as a railway hub and the government intends to
extend railway lines from there into Myanmar.
At present, there are 12 railway projects that have been declared as National Projects - one of these,
the 290-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla project, is in Jammu and Kashmir. The rest are in the
North East. Together, they are worth over Rs 47,000 crore. However, as in the case of the Rs 19,565
crore J&K project which was sanctioned back in 1994-95, only 50% has been completed and Rs
9,815 crore spent (anticipated expenditure) so far. According to the Railways ministry, these projects
are being executed 'as per availability of resources'.

2. "These lines are strategic in more ways that one. The economy in the North-East needs a push. It is
important in terms of cross-border mobility of goods and services as well as from the defence point of
view. These lines are crucial for the defence but it is only now, after China's investment in
infrastructure along the border has come to the fore, that it has gained importance. There are also
other lines which are of more strategic importance but work there too is very slow. Time bound action
plan is very necessary," said J P Batra, former Railway Board chairman adding that the difficult terrain
and local issues including land acquisition also puts an impediment.
In the meanwhile, the over Rs 22,000 crore Bilaspur-Manali-Leh new railway line, which has been in
the pipeline for several years despite being recognized of national importance, is yet to even be
sanctioned. Given the high cost of building this line, it was proposed that it be financed by the finance
ministry. But the proposal has not been supported by the finance ministry and planning commission,
which objected on grounds that it has a negative rate of return.
The line, once built, would connect Himachal and Ladakh, near the China border, and enable faster
movement of defence personnel and equipment to the strategic military base, Leh. In 2011,
highlighting the importance of this project, former Himachal CM Prem Kumar Dhumal had said, "The
security concerns of the country should not be weighed with unrealistic economic cost. China having
already built the Beijing-Lhasa railway track, it is critical for India to respond to increased security
threat to our country."

3. Why strategic projects along border are
in limbo
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November 05, 2013 15:07 IST
India has planned 14 strategic railway lines in areas bordering China,
Pakistan and Nepal, but most of these projects are stuck for want of
funds. Anusha Soni reports
With China all set to pump on another $1.2 billion (120 crore) in its Tibetan Rail
project which will bring rail connectivity right up to the Indian border, India too is
getting ready tobeef up its border security.
On the agenda are 14 strategic rail lines along its borders with China and Pakistan.
However, while these rail lines are critical to meeting India's security challenges,
want of funds could delay these ambitious projects which are expected tocost more
than Rs 78,000 crore.
Some of these lines were planned a hundred years ago but have not seen any
development. Surveys for twoof the 14 lines are still to be completed and cost of four
lines yet tobe estimated. The main hurdle has been the absence of a cost-sharing
agreement between the various ministries involved.
In December 2012, Defence Minister A K Antony had in the Lok Sabha described
these 14 lines as being strategically important for national security. The rail lines,
planned in accordance with inputs from the defence ministry, are to be laid in the
border areas of Punjab, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. (Click
here for graphics)
The three lines planned in Rajasthan are crucial for the movement of troops and
artillery to the border. "The terrain of Rajasthan is suited for mechanised warfare.
But some tracks in the state are still (the ageing and archaic) meter gauge, with single
lines. Doubling (the tracks) in the Jodhpur-Jaisalmer area will save the time required
to move supplies," says Brig (retd) Rumel Dahiya, deputy director general at the
Institute of Defence Studies & Analyses.

4. "If you have a broad gauge rail line in the border areas, you can move tanks and
heavy artillery without noise and dust," he adds. Experts say that enhanced
connectivity can save up to two days' of travel time. The Patti-Ferozepur track in
Punjab, for example, will reduce the time taken to supply goods to border areas, like
Tarn-Taran district, by about 12 hours. The line will run parallel to the border and
will enhance the strategic mobility and flexibility in employment of troops," says
Dahiya.
Moving to Uttarakhand, four lines are planned here in the difficult Himalayan
terrain. Official sources say that work has started on the 160-km Hrishikesh-
Karnaprayag-Chamoli line and that the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, which has
undertaken the task, is currently awaiting environmental clearances for the initial 12-
km stretch. RVNL has submitted details of the line alignment to the state
government and Railway Board for approval.
One of the most expensive lines -- expected tocost about Rs 19,108 crore -- is the
378-km-long Missamari-Tawang link which will connect areas of Arunachal Pradesh,
disputed by China, with Assam. With the Chinese aggressively building
infrastructure on the other side close to the border, this line becomes crucially
important.
"Chinese infrastructure projects have grave strategic implications for India and are a
significant leg of the overall Chinese recalibration in South Asia," says Monika
Chansoria, senior fellow at the Centre for Land and Warfare Studies in Delhi. "This
extensive development of infrastructure in areas bordering India suggests the
impetus being given to the People's Liberation Army's logistics capability, which, in
turn, will enhance its operational capability in these areas - some of which are in
dispute with India," Chansoria adds.
Experts also point out that the road network in Arunachal Pradesh and the rest of the
Northeast is on the ridges running from north to south. There is almost no
connectivity from east to west, which increases the distances three-times.
The Akhnoor-Poonch line, meanwhile, would create a parallel network along the
border with Pakistan and enhance connectivity near the Line of Control with
Pakistan.
Of the 14 lines, preliminary survey for 10 has been completed, but work has begun on
only two. This is despite the fact that these rail lines have been declared national
projects. Funding is expected from the finance ministry. Railways had earlier
expressed its inability to fund any of these projects.

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Apart from the Hrishikesh-Karnaprayag line, work on the 30-km stretch of the
Murkongselek-Pasighat segment has been started by North Frontier Railways.
Government officials who are part of the project point out that this segment is a flat
track and that the real challenges lies ahead, in the rest of the track from Tezu to

6. Rupai. The cost of the 30-km stretch is expected tobe around Rs 10 crore per km.
Official sources say that recently the Uttarakhand chief minister had asked for the
projects in the state tobe speeded up, but the cost involved is proving to be a hurdle.
Sources in the Planning Commission say that "unfortunately" these projects are not
on the priority list for funding. "Although we understand that these projects cannot
be placed in the same category as other projects, but there is currently no consensus
on resource allocation," says a senior official in the Planning Commission.
Other officials maintain that these projects need to be phased out. "We are in
consultation with the defence ministry so that it can identify the priority projects. A
cost-sharing formula also has to be agreed on between the ministries of defence and
finance and the Planning Commission," says an official.
A final location survey might also be needed before funds for the projects are
allocated. "Usually, the project gets the money after the preliminary survey, but in
this case, keeping the cost escalations in mind, we might want to have a detailed
project report first," says an official.
Apart from the costs, the tough terrain also poses a challenge. Experts say India does
not have any experience of building rail tracks at high altitude and in tough terrains
like those in the Himalayas.
There is no good news with regard to road construction either. The Cabinet
Committee on Security had set the deadline of 2012 for the completion of 73 key road
projects which were classified as India-China Border Roads.
The defence ministry has been pushing for faster construction of these 73 roads that
can be used around the year and can sustain harsh weather conditions. About 15 of
them have been completed till now. A study done by CLAW points out that the
construction of roads in the Northeast has been put under the Special Accelerated
Road Development Programme for the North East. The project, divided into two
phases, will undertake the construction of 1,300 km in the first phase and 5,700 km
in the second. The deadline is 2013. About 36 out of these 73 roads are in Arunachal
Pradesh, given its proximity to China.
The worry is not without reason. China has built a network of integrated highways
and subsidiary/feeder roads that connect the Tibet Autonomous Region to border
areas with India, Nepal and Bhutan. It has developed 58,000 km of road network in
Tibet, which includes five major highways and subsidiary roads, says a study by
CLAW.

7. The Yunnan-Tibet highway holds strategic importance for India, as the Chinese army
is currently building an eastern theatre opposite to that of India. China is also heavily
investing in border areas by constructing new airfields and upgrading new advanced
landing grounds. "The construction of airfields and advanced landing grounds closer
to Indian borders boosts the PLA Air Force fighter aircrafts' striking range and
provides PLAAF the ability to strike and engage targets in India on a broad front and
in depth," says Chansoria.
Delay from the Indian side to boost the infrastructure will have long-term effects on
India's overall bargaining power, especially with China, says a former defence officer
on the condition of anonymity. A study has also revealed that low infrastructure
development also makes India "more vulnerable to manipulation of river water". In
2004, after China informed India that an artificial lake had formed on Pareechu
river, a tributary of Sutlej, India was denied the permission to assess the causes of its
formation, causing suspicion that the lake was man-made.
Dahiya points out that poor infrastructure also leaves out the emotional integration
of people. "It makes people disconnected and gives the enemy a chance to fuel local
unrest and take advantage of the situation."
The rail links, assert experts and defence officials, are fundamentally important to
national security as we already lose out on the competition with China.

8. About IDSA National Strategy Project (INSP)
The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), a premier think-tank in the security and foreign policy
sector is hosting the IDSA National Strategy Project (INSP), to facilitate a sustained dialogue with members of
academia, policy makers, media, business and economy, and civil society on critical dimensions of India’s
national strategyin 2020 perspective.The purpose is to help develop a consensus on India’s national strategy in
a complexsecurity and foreign policy environment.The projectwill focus on questions concerning India’s national
security strategy both at the conceptual and prescriptive level: Does India have a ‘national security strateg y’ like
some other importantstates in the international system? Whatwould constitute a useful conceptual and material
framework for the conduct of foreign, security, and economic policy in the social, political, technological and
economic contexts of the contemporary domestic and international system? Would India be better served by a
clearly articulated national securitystrategy establishing,atthe apex level, national priorities both atthe domestic
and international level? These are some of the questions that scholars, policy makers and media have been
debating over the past two decades.
The growing realization of geopolitical implications ofthe transformation ofthe Indian economy, along with that of
China,is fuelling expectations both within the country and abroad for an active foreign policy role for India. At the
same time,there are calls for a coherentarticulation of India’s national strategyand reform of institutions that are
responsible for its effective implementation. A growing interest in national strategy has drawn the attention of
experts both inside and outside the government. In the past, the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) is
known to have put together a document for internal circulation. In more recent years, think-tanks have taken up
projects that will help facilitate informed discussion on India’s national strategy. In addition, individual thinkers
have published thoughtful books and articles explicating India’s national strategy.These efforts of institutions and
individuals,useful as theyare, need to be continued in a sustained manner to evolve a broad national consensus
on both internal and external dimensions of national strategy.
The IDSA project on national strategy will provide such a forum for a sustained and comp rehensive dialogue
among academic, media and government specialists. The project will bring together experts from a range of
disciplines that have a direct or indirect bearing on India’s domestic and foreign policy. It is guided by the belief
that today’s complex challenges cannot be usefully viewed from the vantage point of any single academic
discipline or stream of experience. No one person or an institution, whether located within the state or the civil
society, can make an exclusive claim on the wisdom that would be necessary to develop and employ India’s
resources in the service of its important national objectives -- dramatic reduction or even removal of poverty in
one generation; effectively addressing domestic political violence through democratic methods; building a
cohesive social and political order by effective utilization of economic and political resources; establishing a
stable security environment in the neighbourhood, attuned to both India’s long term interests, and values;
sustaining and reinforcing conditions for economic growth both at the domestic and global level; converting
India’s youth bulge into a national asset; working with other states, and international and global institutions to
protect and promote the global commons. Explication of the conditions of success in all these dimensions of
national strategy will demand multi-spectral perspectives and forms of dialogue that are respectful of India’s
diversity and conscious of the complexity of the contemporary world order.
The project will bring together experts and policy makers by hosting workshops, international and national
seminars,special lectures and qualitybook projects.The discussions will be disseminated to all the stake holders
using print media, peer revived journals, policy briefs, monographs and new media.
Key Focus Areas
1. Strategic environment 2020: India’s strategic environment in 2020 perspective
2. Fostering Cooperative Relations: Innovative, proactive and forward looking strategies for responding
to a complexsecurity environment.Especiallycreative strategies for fostering cooperative relations with
India’s neighbours with an aim to create more space and resources for socio-economic development in
the region.
3. Values: Strategies for promotion ofIndia’s core values (democracy,pluralism,respectfor human rights,
and sovereign equalityof nations,non-intervention and fostering a peaceful regional and global order).
4. Economic growth and inclusive development: Strategies that enhance India’s ability to leverage its
influence abroad to sustain 9-10 per cent growth over a long period of time,also promote internal equity
and social cohesion; strategies for enhancing hard and soft infrastructure focused on redistribution;
strategies that are focused on poverty reduction, health care and education will be particularly
encouraged.

9. 5. Climate change and energy security: Strategies that enhance sustainable economic models that
promote clean energies,increase industrial efficiencies and mitigate harmful effects of climate change;
Studies that focus on comparative learning experiences will be particularly encouraged.
6. Global governance: What could India do with other stake holders in promoting more inclusive and
participative global governance institutions? India’s strategies in shaping the responses to shared global
concerns: climate change; transnational terrorism; maritime security; global financial stability; poverty;
migration; non-proliferation and disarmament, small arms etc.
7. Strategies for building a cohesive society: How to use the instruments and experience of India’s
democracy toward conflict resolution and reconciliation with violent political groups within India.
8. Capacity Building: Strategies for enhancing capacities of existing national security management
institutions;whatshould India do in the next decade to enhance its diplomatic and military capacities for
it rightful role in the emerging international order?
9. Think-tanks and university research agenda: What could the Indian state and society do to promote
research in foreign policy, international economy and security sectors that can help India leverage its
resources in supportof its interests and shared values? How to develop progressive research agenda
that includes contemporary policy relevant studies, theory building, as well as historical works of
enduring value.
10. Technology: Trends in strategic technologies in 2020 perspective;impactof emerging technologies on
economic growth and sustainable development; innovation and organisational change; impact o f
technologies on conflict management; transformation of social and military affairs; impact of
technologies on governance