Railway Board formulates new policy forbidding MoR from starting projects without acquiring required land

The Railway Board has formulated a new policy forbidding the MoR from issuing tenders for the commencement of work on any new railway project without completing the land acquisition or providing a written assurance from the state government guaranteeing land to the MoR within a specific time frame. In addition, the policy grants certain concessions to general managers (GMs) and gives them some discretionary powers, allowing them to invite tenders if they are certain of the possibility of land acquisition within a reasonable time frame. Besides, GMs can also divide large projects into phases, but only after ensuring that each phase on completion yields commercial returns for IR.