The Hindu : National : Lalu announces new services

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Saturday, Mar 04, 2006

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National

Lalu announces new services

Special Correspondent

Lalu Prasad

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday announced a slew of new services and schemes in the Lok Sabha in response to the demands of MPs, including those from the Left parties agitated over not taking the East-West corridor up to Kolkata in the 2006-07 Railway budget.

He assured the Left parties and their ally, the Samajwadi Party, that the Government would neither privatise the Railways nor put it in the hands of multinationals. Also, it would not take any step to retrench workers. He promised to look into the problems of members belonging to the BJP and other parties. "Even if the whole world becomes our enemy, our friendship will remain intact," he declared, quoting a Hindi couplet to reassure the Left parties, which had vociferously threatened to vote against the budget if the corridor was not extended from Sonnagar to Kolkata.

He promised the Left parties that all steps would be taken immediately to protect the interests of West Bengal.

On the Rs. 22,000 crore railway corridors including the Eastern one, Mr. Prasad said the Diamond Harbour was being expanded by the Kolkata Port Trust and the Government was also thinking of a suitable port for transport of containers and petroleum products.

The Minister, who was replying to the three-day debate on the Rail budget in the Lok Sabha, announced a new train from Motihari in Bihar, where Mahatma Gandhi had launched an agitation, to other places associated with the Mahatma including his birthplace Porbandar.

Dismissing the charge of discrimination levelled by the Opposition, which accused him of presenting Bihar and Tamil Nadu-centric rail budget, Mr. Prasad said that out that of the 110 new services to be launched, 20 were towards the north, 24 for south, 39 for east, 14 for west and 13 for the central sector. He asserted that extension of 74 services and increasing frequency of 24 trains would benefit all regions of the country.

Focusing on Mumbai, Mr. Prasad said that around 40 new sub-urban services would be launched and 70 sub-urban services, currently operating with nine coaches, would henceforth have 12 coaches to ease the rush, including on the Borivali-Virar section.

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