Rail Budget 2013 Live: Bansal offers safer facilities, financial sustainability
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presented what is the first Railway Budget by a Congress minister in 17 years on Tuesday. Claiming that the losses of the Railways were mounting, Bansal said that the gigantic network must be financially sustainable for the benefit of the passengers.
February 26, 2013 / 13:20 IST
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presented what is the first Railway Budget by a Congress minister in 17 years on Tuesday. Claiming that the losses of the Railways were mounting, Bansal said that the gigantic network must be financially sustainable for the benefit of the passengers.
"The rail network needs to be expanded at a faster rate. The freight and passenger fares have to be based on economic realities. The growth of railways is linked to the growth of country," he said. The minister said that the estimated losses of the Railways stood at Rs 24,000 crore in 2012-13.Bansal also spoke about the Allahabad railway station stampede, in which many Kumbh pilgrims lost their lives, saying that the "entire Railway family" was pained at the incident. He, however, added that there has been a significant decrease in the number of accidents.Speaking of the government measures to prevent accidents, Bansal said that anti-collision devices would be put to rigorous trials. He further spoke of eliminating 10,797 unmanned level crossing and added that no new unmanned level crossings will be set up. Fire retardant materials will be used in coaches and a new SPART train, i.e. self-propellant accident relief train will be introduced. Speaking on measures on women's safety, Bansal said that a helpline number will be introduced and Railway Protection Force guards will be deployed. He added that more women will be recruited to the RPF. He also said there will be ladies special trains in metros.A thorn in the Railways' side has been its very own website, that, according to Bansal's own admission, causes inordinate delay. Bansal said that to deal with the problem, the Ministry will put in place a "next-gen e-ticketing system". In this system, up to 7,260 tickets can be issued per minute. The present capacity is only 2,000. Bansal announced that Internet booking will now be provided from 12.30 am to 11.30 pm.In order to make the trains more technology-friendly, Bansal said that free wi-fi facility would be provided in select trains. SMS alerts service will be rolled out in some time to intimate passengers about their reservation status. Bansal also said that the Railways would use Aadhar database for bookings and validation of passengers.Bansal also announced special A/C coaches 'Anubhuti', to be introduced in select Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains to give "excellent ambiencewith commensurate fare".With any eye to improving revenues, Bansal announced a new train, 'Azadi Express' that will link all the places related to the freedom movement. The fares in the train will be concessional.Stressing on the need to maintain hygiene in trains and the food it serves, Bansal announced food testing labs and ISO certification for all train kitchens.Before heading to the Rail Bhawan on Tuesday, Bansal had said, "I would want to listen to what people have to say once I have presented the budget."The Rail Minister had held several round of discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Planning Commission in connection with the Rail Budget.Hoping to tackle any opposition to the Budget, the UPA will hold a Coordination Committee meet after the Railway Budget to finalise its strategy in Parliament. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be hearing out alliance partners at the meeting. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
