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| Prabhu promises better rail services despite no hike in passenger fares | | | Though in his maiden Railway budget,which
interestingly was the maiden proposal of the
Modi led BJP Government, the Railways Minister,Suresh Prabhu announced no new trains in his Railway Budget,which was presented in the Parliament on Thursday,it was fully compensated by not raising the passenger fares even by a rupee. Not only this:the budget proposal has glaringly laid emphasis on cleanliness,safety of passengers,better rail services in terms of connectivity and women security should prove a delight for people in India who bank on train services for moving from one place to the other.In a 70-minute speech that carried the distinct imprint of Prime Minister Narendra Modi - Prabhu referenced his pet schemes like Swachh Bharat, Digital India and Make in India - the Railways minister emphasised that the "vicious cycle of underinvestment" must end in the bleeding Railways.Suresh Prabhu wanted to make people and political leaders aware of the fact that Railways facilities have not improved substantially for the past few decades which is the result of under-investment that affects capacity, leading to poor morale. This fed into a vicious cycle of chronic under-investment for a long time.The Minister has pledged to correct that lacuna by increasing investment so that rail services were modernized and the infrastructure was further developed to cater to the requirement of people across the country. In the context of fulfilling his commitment of raising the investment Prabhu has announced,in his budget proposal, that investment in the overloaded railway network would be increased to 8.5 trillion rupees over the next five years, promising to modernise existing tracks and introduce faster trains. The proportion of rail revenue available for investments would rise to 11.5 percent in the fiscal year starting on April 1, up from 8.2 percent in the current fiscal year, He made it clear that over the next five years, the Railway has to go through a transformation, which will be witnessed in terms of cleanliness, safety, modernization of infrastructure and making the railways financially self-sustainable as his four big goals. "We have to make Indian Railways a benchmark organisation in safety, security and infrastructure," he said, inviting private participation Members of the Lok Sabha greeted with cheers Prabhu's announcement that the passenger fares will not be increased and still the focus will be on improving passenger amenities.In a slew of passenger focussed facilities the minister also introduced what he called "Operation 5 mins, which allows passengers traveling unreserved to buy a ticket "within five minutes of entering the station."17000 more toilets would be replaced by bio-Toilets and new toilets would be built at 650 stations, he said, announcing efforts to "transform" railway stations, he said, adding that there would soon be mobile charging facilities in general compartments and wi-fi in category B stations. He also said that a mobile application to address complaints of people is being developed. Yes, people expect the BJP led NDA Government to provide better train services which would include introduction of bullet trains on long routes and provision for better and clean food items on railway stations and inside the trains.But what continues to irk people,rather the customers or the commuters or the passengers is dwindling capacity in each train.Over the years India has witnessed population boom and there has been no corresponding increase in the capacity in coaches.The plight of passengers travelling in general coaches remains pathetic as scores of passengers travel for hours together while standing in the bogies.And luckily Prabhdu has announced that his priority was also to significantly improve capacity over the next five years. Prabhu's induction as India's Railway Minister three months ago was touted by analysts as proof of the Modi government's reformist agenda. Known for his performance as Power Minister in 2002, Prabhu, 61, faces huge expectations on a turnaround for the bleeding Railways whose finances are under terrible strain.Suresh Prabhu's announcements are supposed to gladden people and there could be a wave of joy within next couple of years if the Rail Minister is able to implement all his commitments.Yes, there has been improvement in rail facilities not only within the trains but also on the stations and platforms. One can enjoy clean platforms where more benches have been kept for passengers. And Suresh Prabhu will be able to add another feather to the cap of the Modi led Government if he is able to improve safety of passengers which can be ensured by providing better communication system at railway crossings.All the unmanned crossings should be taken care of.Let Prabhu initiate steps that makes railways running behind the schedule or prolonged delays in rail services a thing of the past. Yes, there is no good news for people in Jammu and Kashmir because no new train has been introduced and no coach factory has been announced for the state.Hope Prabhu keeps it in mind when he announces new trains after a couple of months. |
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