'Manual of Instructions to Officers of the Political Department of the Government of India' [‎16r] (51/478)

9
cotton goods passing into British India from such
States. The levy of such a duty must place some re
striction on free transit and commerce between State
territory and British India, and it is therefore the ordi
nary practice to invite States to assist in attaining the
end in view by the alternative of the levy by the autho
rity of the State of an excise duty equivalent to that
contemplated by the Act. The plan is one which
while fiscally advantageous to the State removes
the need for the restrictions above mentioned.
19. I. When a proposal is made that a railway For. & Pol. Dept*,
should traverse State territory, the State or States f^atwi^h Dec
Construction and maintenance concerned will be afforded 1923 .
of railways in Indian States. f u ]l opportunity of making
representations on the subject, and such represen
tations will receive most careful consideration.
Except when the proposed railway is required
for strategic purposes, nothing will, in the absence
of mutual agreement, be done which is calculated
to infringe the sovereign rights of the States. If
after full examination of all possible routes for a
proposed strategic railway it is found that there
is more than one alternative feasible route, one
traversing a State and the other avoiding it, the
wishes of the State concerned will, provided condi
tions are approximately equal, not be overruled.
II. Subject to the fulfilment of the conditions
laid down in paragraph I, no railway survey will'be
commenced in State territory unless the object and
general alignment of the projected railway have
been fully explained to the State and its consent
obtained. A State will not, by consenting to a sur
vey, commit itself in any way to concurrence in the
new project.
III. When the survey of a projected line is
being made, the officer-in-charge of the survey will
consult the State concerned as to the alignment in
the State which would best serve the commercial
and other interests of the State, and while adhering
to the general direction indicated in his instructions,
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