The New Indian Express First Published : 26 Feb 2011 12:02:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Feb 2011 01:34:56 AM IST
It is a please-all budget Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented in Parliament yesterday. For the third consecutive year, she has spared both passenger and freight traffic of any increase in user charges. She has also extended many freebies and concessions like a 50 per cent reduction in the booking charges for both A/C and non-A/C seats and better benefits for senior citizens. She has also promised job opportunities to a large number of ex-servicemen and plans to appoint staff to man all the unmanned level crossings. Besides introduction of 200 new trains and promise of more trains in railway divisions, which record the lowest accident rate, she has drawn up a host of ambitious programmes that include introduction of anti-collusion devices and addition of 700 km to the railway network.
The minister has taken pride to claim that the total revenue would cross Rs 1 lakh crore this year. What needs to be ascertained is whether the increase is commensurate with the additional cost the railways will have to bear on account of her populism. If a minister tries to avoid revenue-generating measures towards the fag end of her term, it is understandable, because she has to face an electorate.
But when a minister does not at all want to generate resources, she can surely be questioned on her intentions. If several new projects like an industrial park at Nandigram and a metro coach factory at Kolkata have a West Bengal connection, a closer look will reveal that the whole budget is geared to help her win the next elections to the State Assembly.
Mamata Banerjee knows only too well that if her gamble succeeds and the Trinamool Congress is able to dislodge the Left Front from power in West Bengal, she will not be at the Rail Bhavan to execute all the ambitious programmes she has announced. It is true that for quite some time successive rail ministers, including Lalu Prasad, have been refraining from increasing passenger fares and freight charges for fear of antagonising the public. But then it is also a fact that there has been a fall in the standards of the railways, for instance, in the upkeep of trains and the catering services. Budget is a yearly occasion for the railway minister to mop up resources, provide better services to the passengers and strengthen the railway system. Alas, Didi had the next elections in West Bengal in mind, rather than the future of the Indian Railways.
Topics:Railways budget, Mamata Banerjee
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It is desirable that M.Ps and Central Ministers, especially from Thrissur- Palakkad – Pollachi, Palani and Dindigul regions take forward the need for the Kollengode - Thrissur railway line with their counterparts in neighboring districts of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kollengode – Thrissur line which facilitates a chord line between Pollachi and Thrissur should not be seen as a railway project for Kerala alone as it is equally pertinent for the trade, commerce and tourism in Tamil Nadu. By Madan Menon Thottasseri
2/28/2011 6:37:00 PM I would like to advise the Action Council to muster support from towns like Pollachi, Udumalaipet, Palani, Oddanchatram and Dindigul with the help of business communities who are engaged in inter-state trade and commerce. They can also seek support from the Palani Dhadayudhapani Dewasthnam, which control and manage the famous Hill Temple that attracts pilgrims from other states, mainly from Kerala. Guruvayur Dewasam Board can also take an initiative for Kollengode – Thrissur railway line for the cause of pilgrims travel. By Madan Menon Thottasseri
2/28/2011 6:35:00 PM The Action Council for Kollengode- Thrissur Railway line based in Nenmara must continue its campaign for the rail link in co-ordination with the Rail Passengers Associations and Local bodies ( Municipalities/ Panchayats) at Kollengode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Pollachi, Palani, Udumalaipet, Oddanchatram, Dindigul etc. The Action Council may have to generate awareness on the need for the rail link amongst the residents through sub-committees in every nook and corner of this route. It can consolidate strength for their campaign for making this dream railway line a reality. The campaign for the proposed railway line will not get the due importance if people of a particular region in Kerala agitate in isolation within Palakkad district in Kerala. Instead if the campaign is wide-spread within a region involving people of two states who are beneficiaries, it will be easy to prevail on the Railway Ministry. By Madan Menon Thottasseri
2/28/2011 6:34:00 PM If the Railway Ministry concludes that the Kollengode- Thrissur Rail link is found financially unviable and cannot bring adequate traffic earnings, probably majority of branch lines appearing in the list of new lines in West Bengal, Maharashtra, M.P, U.P will never be entitled for approval. It is an undeniable truth that right from the declaration of Uni-Gauge policy in 1992, 80 percent of the gauge conversion and proposal for new lines were carried out based on the strength of political lobbies and not on the potentials of traffic viability and projected enhanced earnings! Can Railway Ministry declare earnings from branch lines created after 1992 in Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal? No chance for the same. Because it will reveal the underlying fact that majority of these new lines were selected for implementation despite found not feasible in any way but due to the high-handedness of political lobbies that manipulated the railway regime. By Madan Menon Thottasseri
2/28/2011 5:10:00 PM The Kollengode – Thrissur railway has become an unresolved chronicle among the shelved railway proposal despite having all potential and viability as a green-corridor enabling a chord link between Pollachi and Thrissur.The significance of this line is enhanced as it can provide a shorter route and easy accessibility from the industrial towns in South and Central Tamil Nadu as well as Tuticorin Port to Kochi port and Vallarpadom Container terminal in Kerala.If Kerala had put forth a compromise as in the case of the Salem – Bangalore line and agreed for a M.G line at least in mid seventies or eightees (much prior to the declaration of the ‘uni-gauge’ policy/1992), probably a M.G rail connectivity between Kollengode and Thrissur would have become a reality and the same would have been converted into B.G by this time. By Madan Menon Thottasseri
2/28/2011 4:58:00 PM It was the Railway Minister Jaffer Sherrif who commenced the style of functioning the Ministry by concentrating much of the gauge conversion and new B.G lines in the Cabinet Minister’s home state in mid nineties. Can we forget the way the M.G. lines connecting Hassan ( Bangalore – Arsikere – Hassan and Bangalore – Mysore-Hassan M.G.Sections) were converted into B.G in a record time, upon getting top priority when the Railway regime’s Conversion projects were centered around Bangalore under the nose of then Railway Minister hailing from Karnataka? He set a precedent for treating developmental projects, mainly gauge conversions and sanctioning of new lines for pleasing the electorate in the home state of the Railway Minister which was rightly followed up to the regime by current incumbent Ms. Mamata Banerjee. By Madan menon Thottasseri
2/28/2011 4:48:00 PM
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