The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Lalu Prasad rules out privatisation of Railways

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Lalu Prasad rules out privatisation of Railways

Special Correspondent

Plans to take up own power generation

TIRUPATI: Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has unveiled the road-map of the Railways for the next fiscal and dropped enough hints that the next budget will be highly rational and different in many ways.

He was addressing a meeting after launching the 104-km railway electrification work between Tirupati and Katpadi and flagging off the first passenger train on the newly electrified section on Saturday.

Referring to the express railway corridor being provided in the first phase between Ludhiana and Howrah and New Delhi-Mumbai, he said it would meet the problem of increasing traffic density on the existing tractions and ensure speedier passenger and goods transhipment between the metros.

Mr. Lalu Prasad said to save the increasing fuel cost, the Railways was planning to take up power generation on its own and separate itself from the National Thermal Power Corporation’s power grid.

Facility for poor

He said ‘Garib Rath’ introduced in the country on an experimental basis, was proposed to be sanctioned to all the States. Let poor and ordinary people also have the luxury of travelling by air conditioned trains at affordable rates, he said.

Stating that the Railways had netted a surplus of Rs.27,000 crore without resorting to any increase in passenger fares, he attributed it to the rational management and improvement in infrastructure.

‘Miracle achieved’

He claimed that the ‘miracle achieved’ had become such an interesting point of debate the world over that experts even from countries like the USA, Japan, China had visited India to know how it became possible.

He ruled out privatisation of Indian Railways and its facilities.

Where is the need when it was doing so well, he asked and added that there would be no retrenchment of staff or increase in train fare.

International

In an instant response to pleas made by MPs and MLAs of the district, Mr. Lalu Prasad declared that the railway junction of Tirupati would be developed to match ‘international standards’ in view of it being a premier temple town in the country.

He asked SCR authorities to take up a survey and send him the proposals immediately.

Among the other speakers were the Union Minister of State for Railways, R. Velu, Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi, MPs Chintha Mohan (Tirupati), D.K. Audikesavulu and Durga Ramakrishna (Chittoor), Anjan Kumar (Secunderabad), AP Ministers R. Chenga Reddy and G. Aruna Kumari and Tirupati legislator M. Venkatramana.

Earlier the General Manager of the S.C. Railways, G.K. Padey welcomed the guests.

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