Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the previous governments for delaying and not implementing the Dedicated Freight Corridor project of the Railways, saying his administration held talks with stakeholders to speed up the work.

“The project was given permission in 2006 but it was only on paper as the then government lacked the seriousness and urgency with which it had to take it up with the states,” Modi said as he inaugurated the New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor through video conferencing.

“Till 2014 not a single kilometre track of the project was laid and the funds sanctioned could not be spent properly. After 2014 ,it was restarted and officials asked to take it forward and by then the budget had gone up by 11 times,” he said.

The prime minister also inaugurated the EDFC’s operation centre at Prayagraj and flagged off the first 1.5 kilometre-long goods trains.

The prime minister said that on coming to power, he personally monitored the project and held a dialogue with the stakeholders and got new technology as a result of which about 1100 km work will be completed in next few months.

“Imagine, not a single kilometre in eight years and 1,100 kilometres in six years," he said in an attack on the Congress-led UPA government.