The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Lalu promises filling of posts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Lalu promises filling of posts

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI, SEPT. 16. The Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, today said that his immediate job is to provide jobs to all eligible in the railways by filling the vacant posts. "I am not like the BJP, which cut down the jobs and reduced employment opportunities during its regime," he said and cited the steps he had already initiated to fill the vacant posts of gangmen (D-3) and Railway Protection Force personnel.

Mr Lalu Prasad along with his wife and the Bihar Chief Minister, Rabri Devi, was participating in a number of programmes organised at Tirupati by the South Central Railway on the eve of his maiden visit to the temple town after taking over charge of the Railway Ministry. In a hard-hitting speech in Hindi laced with his usual wit and sarcasm he listed the steps he had taken immediately after becoming the Railway Minister to break the monopoly of MNCs like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and companies such as Higginbothams, A.H.Wheeler, Bombay Dyeing, Raymonds, etc on the railways.

Explains measures

He explained how he managed to rid the railways of their domination and how he replaced them with their swadeshi alternatives.

He cited in this connection the edging out of the plastic cups and introduction of earthen pots (kullads) in their place to serve as containers. He did not miss to mention how he ordered the immediate removal of all the mill-woven curtains and drapers decorating the offices of the railway officials, waiting-rooms and how he got them replaced with handloom and khadi screens to indirectly provide succour to weavers.

Wondering how the monopoly was allowed to continue for years, he explained the steps being taken to allot the book-stalls on railway platforms to educated unemployed as `social justice' step.

He also cited the steps under way for reservation of railway tickets through cell phones and said that all the district headquarters would be brought into the network in phases.

Functions galore

Mr Lalu prasad vowed not to rest until he made the Indian Railways `No 1' in the world amid a round of applause from people who gathered in large numbers at the function. Mr Prasad had a busy schedule and either inaugurated or laid the foundation for a number of facilities in the Tirupati railway station.

He laid the stone for the new station building at Tirupati (south) to meet the growing traffic and for the doubling and electrification of the Tirupati-Renigunta section.

He also flagged off the DEMU train service between Tirupati-Katpadi and also dedicated to the nation the Renigunta-Nandalur electrified section. He said Tirupati had a special place in his heart and added that all its needs would be fulfilled.

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