The fate of the proposed Bhadutala-Jhargram rail route via Lalgarh, which was supposed to connect hundreds of remote tribal hamlets that were once Maoist hotbeds, hangs in the balance as the Bengal government has expressed its inability to shoulder 50 per cent of the cost for laying tracks.

The laying of railway tracks connecting Bhadutala in West Midnapore to Jhargram via Lalgarh had come up in the recently held meeting of the standing committee of the Eastern Zonal Council, where ministry of home affairs representatives discussed several issues related to eastern states including Bengal.

“The Bengal government made it clear that it would not be possible for them to share the cost of laying the tracks. It has requested the ministry of railways to complete the project with its own resources, but the Centre remains non-committal, at least for the time being,” said a senior state government official.

According to the agenda papers prepared for the meeting, the proposal to lay 54.5km of tracks was first mooted in the railway budget of 2011-12.

The agenda papers of the meeting state that the cost of the project, which was estimated at Rs 289.54 crore at that time, was to be shared by the Bengal government and the railways. With the state government expressing its inability, the rail ministry was requested by the standing committee of the Eastern Zonal Council to consider the request of the state government.

Sources said that the railways pointed out during the meeting that the then Planning Commission had given in-principle approval subject to a condition that the state government would share 50 per cent cost of the project.

“The state government has not responded to the request for cost sharing. Therefore, the project could not be sanctioned,” said a source.

Senior Bengal government officials said that the state expressed its inability to share the project cost only because of the struggling exchequer.

“We are spending more than Rs 35,000 crore a year to run several welfare schemes. Moreover, the Centre owes us a handsome amount.… This is the reason why the ministry of railways was requested to complete the project from its resources,” said a senior official.

Another official explained why the railways should complete the project from its resources.

“The proposed railway tracks are supposed to connect several tribal villages, which would give a momentum to the economy of the areas. The state government has brought the Maoist problem under control and now the Centre should come forward to ensure that the problem never recurs.… Rail connectivity in the area will change the landscape of this otherwise inaccessible region,” said an official.