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Mamata rules out fare hike, freight on essential commodities unchanged

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

In an election-eve railway budget, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for the second year in succession has proposed no hike in passenger fares of all classes in the Railway Budget for 2001-2002. However, she announced an increase of 3 per cent in freight rates of all commodities sparing eleven groups of items including LPG, sugar, edible oils, urea, fruit and vegetables.

Ruling out privatisation of the railways, the Minister said adjustments in freight rates would mobilise Rs 5 billion in the coming fiscal.

The revised freight rates will be effective from April 1, 2001.

The minister visualised a growth of 9 per cent in passenger traffic and fixed a target of 500 million tonnes for freight traffic.

Efforts were underway to generate funds through non-traditional resources, Banerjee said. The railways is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 10 billion in the next fiscal against the target of Rs 7.50 billion in the current financial year.

The railways proposes to generate Rs 7 billion by way of leasing of right of way of optic fibre cables, Rs 2 billion from commercial exploitation of land and Rs 1 billion through commercial publicity.

Stressing the need for an improvement on the safety front, Banerjee said an amount exceeding Rs 30 billion had been earmarked for enhancing safety measures including renewal of tracks.

"Track renewal works must recieve priority. therefore, I proposes to enhance the outlay for this crucial activity taking it to Rs 20.50 billion, making an increase of about 25 per cent over the revised outlay for the current year," Banerjee said.

The higher allocation will only help the railways to meet the current needs and not the arrears for which additional funds would be required, she added.

The chairman of the Railway Board had been made in-charge of safety to facilitate better co-ordination.

On the security of passengers, Banerjee said functioning of Railway Protection Force was being streamlined through, among other measures, modernisation of communications, security gadgets and weaponry, provision of adequate transportation, computerisation, and upgrading training facilities.

She also stressed the need for granting more powers to the RPF to beef up security on the railways.

Through economic and austerity measures, the Railways was expected to exceed the target of Rs 8.50 billion. These measures would continue to be high priority with the railways in the next fiscal also, Banerjee said.

The outlay on passenger amenities is proposed to be increased by 39 per cent over the revised estimates to cover many new areas of improvement.

Top priority would be accorded to providing drinking water, platform shelters, increasing the length of platform to accommodate longer trains, raising the platform heights and ensuring seating arrangements.

To improve sanitation at stations, a large number of 'pay and use' toilets will be set up and mechanised cleaning undertaken.

Banerjee also proposed to make 74 more stations as model stations in the next year. Computerised passenger reservation system (PRS) facility will also be extended to 71 locations, to make available the facility to 741 locations by the end of next fiscal.

With an aim to reduce congestion on ticket counters, the minister said the proposal to use internet kiosks for ticket retailing was under consideration.

Stressing the need for modernisation of the railway system, She said an advisory committee under the chairmanship of Sam Pitroda had been set up for suggesting ways and means of initiating comprehensive modernisation of Indian Railways with application of appropriate technologies.

The committee will also suggest areas for resource mobilisation in various facets of railway functioning.

The budget has significantly stepped up the annual plan outlay for the coming year by 11 per cent to Rs 110.90 billion as against Rs 100.02 billion this year without any increase in budgetary support.

Fixing freight target at 500 million tonnes for 2001-02, a 25 million tonne increase over the current year, the rail budget projects a 9 per cent growth in passenger traffic and 'other coaching' by 8.8 per cent.

Retaining the sops she gave in her earlier budget, Banerjee announced that the concessional season ticket for people below poverty line would continue and extended reliefs available to orthopaedically handicapped and paraplegic persons to visually and mentally handicapped.

Additional inputs: Agencies

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