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| Despite being realistic Rail budget has nothing new for Jammu and Kashmir | | |
Early Times Report
jammu, July 8: The cash starved Indian Railways needed additional funds for building infrastructure and for extending rail facilities to unexplored areas. But raising the passenger fare by over 14 per cent and freight by over six per cent may add to the difficulties of people. But the BJP led NDA Government has claimed that the decision to increase fare and freight had been taken by the Congress led UPA Government in February.
And like an innocent baby the BJP leaders say that the NDA Government has simply implemented the decision that had been taken by the previous Government. Is this argument tenble? Certainly not because the new Government invariably is seen quick in undoing what the previous Government had done. Also, it is not mandatory for the new Government to honour decision taken by its predecessor.
But when the Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda presented his maiden rail budget in the Lok Sabha today it revealed the exact contours of the financial crunch the Railways had been facing during the last several years. This fiscal crunch coupled with drop in earnings have prevented the Railway Ministry from initiating major schemes for upgrading and modernizing the rail traffic. If Gowda is to be believed the Railways spend 94 per cent of the total revenue on wages, upgradation of services and on other activities. This leaves just six per cent on modernization of the rail services. It is in this connection that the budget has made a provision for seeking FDI and private investment in developing the railways.
Yes, it was the result of growing fiscal problems that the NDA Government ignored the repeated plea from people for review of the fare and freight hike, announced three weeks ago, in order to reduce the quantum of revised fare and freight. It is yet to be ascertained if increase in freight will result in increase in prices of ll those commodities that are being carried by trains from one place to the other.
Gowda and Modi need to be given one credit that the Government did not raise the level of revised fare and freight and stuck to its decision taken three weeks ago.
The paucity of funds can be gauged from the budget proposal which reveals that out of the total receipts of Rs. 1,64,374 crores over Rs. 1,49,176 crores were going to be the expenditure. Gowda has stated that he needs more than Rs nine lakh crores in completing the Golden Quadrilateral Network and Rs 60,000 crore for introducing one bullet train alone, Gowda told the House, “Can I depend only on hiking fare and freight rates and burden the public to realise these funds? This is unrealistic.
The Minister has proposed to launch a scheme to bring in investible surplus funds of railway PSUs in infrastructure projects which can generate attractive returns. Proposing private investment in railways through domestic and FDI, Gowda said growth depends heavily on availability of funds for investment in rail infrastructure and that too when internal revenue sources and Government funding are insufficient to meet the requirement. This has made it necessary for seeking Cabinet approval for allowing FDI in rail sector. FDI, however, will be limited to infrastructure development and not allowed in operations, he said.
He said the concept of PPP has not been successful in raising substantial resources for railways. “It is my endeavour to pursue this in right earnest. It is our target that bulk of our future projects will be financed through PPP mode, including the high—speed rail, which requires huge investments.”
Apart from mobilising resources, Gowda said he needed to strategically manage other aspects of planning and administration by adopting a near—holiday approach, setting timelines for ongoing projects, strategic partnership and aggressive indigenisation of imported projects
Well people would be ready to pay more for rail services provided Gowda is able to ensure safety and security on the Railway stations, on tracks nd during the travel. India has had a history major rail accidents, some having been termed as disasters and the new Government has to initiate steps for ensuring accident free rail travel, safety for women and clean coaches alongwith clean platforms. Let people enjoy travelling by trains as has been the case in the West and in China.
Gowda needs to make some insertions in the budget proposals which could make pilgrims traffic to Udhampur, Katra, Jammu and Srinagar a hassle free affair. This can be done by introducing more trains on Jammu-Udhampur-Katra route in view of the fact that about one crore pilgrims are visiting the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi per year and several lakh pilgrims making it to the Amarnath cave in Kashmir. |
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