The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Rail budget: no win-win proposition for State

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Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Rail budget: no win-win proposition for State

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

Development needs of Kerala only "partially addressed"

Thiruvananthapuram: Despite hard lobbying by the State Government and MPs from the ruling and Opposition fronts in the State, railway development needs of Kerala were only "partially addressed" in the budget presented by Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad on Monday.

The long-pending demands for an exclusive railway zone for the State, electrification of the busy Shoranur-Mangalore line and a daily super-fast express train to Bangalore from the State capital were not met.

Mainline electric multiple units (MEMU) or diesel multiple units for short-distance travel, a periodic overhauling workshop at Nemom, near the capital city, and an EMU car shed at Kollam are among the unmet demands.

Work will continue on the creation of the Salem division by splitting the Palakkad division. Only last week, a delegation of MPs from Kerala had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr. Prasad to reiterate the State's contention that the new division should not be created.

The only solace is the sanction for a bogie unit, the first major railway unit in the State, in a joint venture with Autokast Ltd, a unit of the public-sector Steel Industries Kerala Ltd., in Alappuzha. However, Railway sources told The Hindu that much need not be expected from the unit. It would only assemble bogies comprising wheels and axles, brought from the Yelahanka plant, near Bangalore, and platforms, and shift them to coach-manufacturing units.

A Kozhikode report quoted K.M. Gopinathan, former Chief Controller, Palakad railway division, as saying, "It is strange the Railway Budget is silent on the State Government's long-standing demand for a coach factory." The wagon-component factory in Alappuzha would not be an adequate substitute for a coach factory, he said.

The State's demand for a coach factory at Kanjikode in Palakkad district had not been withdrawn. "But it is strange no one is talking about it or putting pressure on the Centre for it, even though a foundation stone for another railway coach factory was laid as recently as in the second week of February in Rae Bareli," he said.

Of the 32 new express trains announced, none was sanctioned for the State. Kerala had demanded trains to Bangalore, Delhi and Bhavnagar.

However, the proposal for a Garib Rath Express, announced earlier by Mr. Prasad, from the State capital to New Delhi had been shelved. The train would now run from here to Lokmanya Tilak terminus in Mumbai twice a week.

Train no. 6603/6604 Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Maveli Express was made a daily train, and 6527/6528 Yeswantpur-Kannur Express and 6315/6316 Bangalore-Kochuveli Express will run thrice a week. 364 Kottayam-Thiruvananthapuram Passenger was extended to Nagercoil.

Sanction was given for doubling the Chingavanam-Kuruppunthura and Amabalapuzha-Haripad stretches. Railway sources said it was to be seen how much of the Rs. 300 crore needed for the work had been provided.

Mr. Prasad had sanctioned electrification of the 87-km Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari and 23-km Thrissur-Guruvauyur lines. Sanction for carrying out a survey for Nanjangud-Nilambur and Thalassery-Nilambur railway lines, demanded by the State, found a place in the budget.

Idukki may find a place on the railway map as the Minister had okayed the survey of the Dindigul-Kumili line, via Bodinayakkanur.

Nothing to cheer

Railway sources said there was nothing to cheer about in the reduction in passenger fares, as the budget said "reduction in fares for all classes" would be for high-capacity, new-design reserved coaches.

M.N. Prasad, former Chairman of the Railway Board, told The Hindu that as expected, it was a popular budget. The unique feature was the concessions granted by scaling down fares and freight charges. The common man would benefit from six unreserved coaches in every train.

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