The Hindu : Business : Railway Budget evokes mixed reaction from trade bodies

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Railway Budget evokes mixed reaction from trade bodies

Staff Reporter

It has fallen short of the expectations of North Kerala: Malabar Chamber

Budget raises great prospects for the State: Kerala Chamber
ICCI feels that Kerala should have given more daily trains

Kochi: Trade bodies and chambers of commerce are generally pleased with the Railway Budget for the next financial year terming it a helpful one basically because it offers relief on passenger fares and freight charges.

Prompted by the Rs. 25,000-crore profit during 2007-08, the Railway Minister has provided five per cent cut in freight on petrol and diesel and granted nominal cut in passenger fares, said the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in its reaction to the Railway Budget.

While the proposal for improving facilities/amenities would make travel more comfortable, “it is gratifying that the Minister has categorically announced that a new coach factory would be set up in Kerala,” said the Indian Chamber statement.

The Chamber also welcomed the move by the State government to set aside 1,000 acres of land for the coach factory project for which Rs.1,000 crore has been allocated.

The Chamber, however, felt that of the 63 new trains, Kerala had only four. It would only just for Kerala to get a few more daily trains to ease the rising volume of traffic.

While the Railway Budget had promised help to the rail connectivity for Vallarpadam project, it made no mention of suburban train services, said the Chamber statement.

The Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry described the Rail Budget as raising great prospects for Kerala. The initiatives to strengthen private-public partnership in the railways and to improve passenger amenities were welcome, said a statement from the Chamber here. The Chamber also called on the political leadership in the State to take the initiative on completing the rail overbridges in the State, improving infrastructure and electrification and doubling of lines.

The Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the confirmation of a coach factory for Kerala. “We appreciate that substantial outlays have been earmarked for the improvement and addition of infrastructure in the Indian Railways,” said a statement from the Cochin Chamber. The Ernakulam Merchants’ Union welcomed the Railway Budget but appealed to the State government to ensure that the land allocated for the rail coach factory was transferred immediately for the purpose so that land availability did not become a hindrance to the project being implemented.

The union expressed dissatisfaction at the several rail overbridges, including the Pulleppady overbridge, remaining incomplete. However, it welcomed the fund allocation for Vallarpadam rail connectivity project.

Malabar unhappy

Special Correspondent writes from Kozhikode:

Merchants’ organisations are disappointed with the Railway Budget since it does not offer much to people in North Kerala. The Malabar Chamber of Commerce, Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of North Kerala Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Malabar Train Action Committee are among the organisations that expressed disappointment with the budget proposals.

Unless State’s MPs intervened effectively, neglect of railway needs of people of North Kerala would continue and misery of commuters in this part of the country would increase, M. Mussamil, chairman, Federation of North Kerala Chambers of Commerce and Industry, warned.

Even though the Railway Budget would bring cheer to many in the State, it had fallen short of the expectations of the people of North Kerala, P. Zakeer, president of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce, and P.V. Gangadharan, chairman, Malabar Train Action Committee said .

Malabar Chamber welcomed as plus points of the budget the proposal for cut in tariff for travel by first class and AC coaches without raising freight charges, the reduction in freight charges for petrol and diesel, the special provisions made for transporting cement, food grains and essential commodities , and the provision made for a coach factory which has been a long-standing demand of the people of North Kerala.

It was true the increase in frequency of Thiruvananthapuram- Nizamuddin Express to three days a week would be of help to travelling public of North Kerala, Malabar Chamber said but it also complained that the budget was silent on the wagon factory in Alappuzha and the concrete sleeper factory in Palakkad, the two projects that were mentioned in the last budget. Though Railways made a profit of Rs.25,000 crore, no allocation had been made for electrification of Shoranur- Mangalore line which would cost only Rs.325 crore, Mr. Gangadharan and Mr. Zakeer said.

“Railway development has been reduced to an exercise to promote the interests of Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Minister of State for Railways R. Velu,” said P.T.S. Unni, secretary, Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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