The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : No privatisation of railways, says Lalu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

No privatisation of railways, says Lalu

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE, SEPT.19. "The railways will never be privatised during my tenure as Railway Minister", asserted the Minister for Railways, Lalu Prasad, on Saturday.

He was inaugurating the modified booking office and unreserved ticketing system facility and laying the foundation stone for a new platform shelter at the Walajah Road Railway Station.

Mr. Lalu Prasad said that before he took over as the Railway Minister, the whole country was confused whether the Indian Railways— the biggest public sector employer in India— would remain in the government sector or be handed over to the private sector.

The previous Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government was seriously thinking of handing over the railways to the private sector.

There was a "conspiracy" to sell the railways at a cheap rate to the private sector.

"As soon as I became the Railway Minister, I cleared the clouds by deciding, in the interests of the public, the farmers and the railway employees, that the railways shall never be handed over to the private sector during my tenure", he said.

Contribution of TN

He acknowledged the "great contribution" of the people of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh Governments, the two Communist parties and all the partners of the United Progressive Alliance led by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to this decision of the Railway Ministry.

After he assumed charge, he decided not to increase passenger fares or freight charges in the interests of the public.

If freight charges were hiked, it would result in an increase in the prices of all essential commodities that were transported through goods trains, thus affecting the poor.

Velu thanks Lalu

R. Velu, the Minister of State for Railways thanked Mr. Lalu Prasad for having sanctioned the survey of a new railway line from Tindivanam to Nagari (in Andhra Pradesh) via Vandavasi, Arni, Ranipet, Walajah Road, Sholinghur, Arakkonam, R.K. Pettai and Podhatturpettai, thus serving large sections of the people who have not seen a train in their lives.

He said that after Chennai Central, Walajah Road was the first railway station in the entire Chennai Division to be provided an unreserved ticket booking facility, which enables a passenger to buy an unreserved ticket three days in advance of the journey date.

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