People's Democracy

CITU Welcomes Rail Budget

IN a statement issued on July 6, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) welcomed the rail budget 2004 and specially the railway minister’s proposal not to increase the railway fare and freight rates. It also welcomed several measures announced by the railway minister to provide better facilities to the passengers.

The CITU said, “The approach of improving the performance of the railways to meet the additional outlays and programmes in the railways is in conformity with the concept evolved in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA.”

However, the CITU also felt that the new programmes announced by the railway minister would not be fulfilled unless a drastic improvement in the performance of the railways is ensured by the government.

The CITU also underlined the need to pay more attention to passenger safety in the rail travel so that Indian Railways is able to play an important role in economic advance of the country.

Describing the rail budget 2004, presented in Lok Sabha on July 6, as “pro-poor,” Basudev Acharia, the CPI(M) group’s leader in Lok Sabha, said it has certain innovative ideas. However, he said, the budget suffered from lacunae like insufficient allocation of funds for new lines and rolling stock.

“This is for the first time that any railway minister has expressed concern for the common man, even though it has certain shortcomings like lack of financial support for expanding the railway network,” Acharai told a news conference.

Making a strong case for more funds to “fully utilise” the existing railway fleet to transport more freight, he said the move was necessary to meet the target of carrying over 560 million tonnes of freight a year.

Referring to the introduction of “altogether new ideas” like the use of kulhads, lassi and mattha, besides khadi and handloom products, Acharia this would go a long way in not only generating employment for the rural poor and weavers but protecting the environment as well. He also welcomed incorporation of proposals like checking corruption, recycling steel, engine unloading, connecting backward areas and doubling railways lines.

“If the 63,000 km stretch of Indian Railways is properly used and its carriage capacity increased, it can serve the nation in a much better way,” Acharia said. For the first time, he said, stress has been laid on doubling the lines, which is important as it would substantially add to the carrying capacity of the railways. Citing the instance of coal, he said out of 350 million tonnes of coal movement, the railways presently carried only a little over 200 million tonnes. There was thus big scope for raising the revenue earnings by carrying more freight.

Acharia also appreciated the railway minister’s other “innovative” ideas like replacing plastic materials, enhancing passenger security and filling up of vacancies in the railways. (INN)