Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit out at previous governments for delaying the Dedicated Freight Corridor project of the Railways and said his government engaged 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, he said after inaugurating the New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor via video conferencing.

Till 2014 not a single km 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, the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi also inaugurated the EDFC’s operation centre at Prayagraj and flagged off the first 1.5-km-long goods train.

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 1,100 km work will be completed in next few months

“Imagine not a single km in eight years and 1,100 km in 6 years,” he said.