Pvt. sector to be allowed to run tourism trains: Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

PALAKKAD, OCT. 13. The private sector would be given a major role in the development of railways in the country and will be allowed to run trains on the lines of `Palace on Wheels' to make use of the rich tourism potential of the country.

Addressing a press conference here today, the Minister of State for Railways, Mr. O. Rajagopal, said a proposal by a private company, Thomas Cook, to run a train to Shimla for taking tourists there was already under the consideration of Railways.

The Andhra Pradesh Government has shown keen interest to have a train like the `Palace on Wheels' run in Rajasthan to its tourist centres in a bid to make good use of the rich tourism potentials of the State, he said.

Mr. Rajagopal said the Railways were prepared to provide infrastructure facilities to exploit the enormous tourism potentials of Kerala if the State Government came up with such proposals.

He said many State Governments, in cooperation with the Railways, had set up Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation for the development of railway facilities. The Railways have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Joint sector companies were being formed with 26 per cent of shares each, held by the Railways and the State Government, and the rest being mobilised through shares and financial institutions.

This was done by those State Governments which were interested in the development of railway infrastructure facilities in their States since the financial crunch does not allow the Railways to provide these facilities in the near future.

The salary bill of the Railways jumped to Rs. 18,000 crores after the latest Pay Commission from Rs. 10,000 during 1994-95. Hence the State Governments have joined the Railways to set up such Corporations, the Minister said.

He said that so far the Kerala Government had not approached the Railways for setting up such joint venture corporations to develop railway facilities. He appealed to the State Government to follow the examples of other States and come forward to set up such corporations so that the State could make use of its rich tourism potentials.

The Minister said the Railways had taken steps to develop its network in neglected areas like the North East, and Jammu & Kashmir.

He said the Union Government had allotted Rs. 205 crores in the Budget for the development of Railways in Kerala in the current financial year as against the Rs. 89 crores allotted by the previous National Front Government which was supported by all the 20 Lok Sabha members from Kerala belonging to both the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress (I)-led United Democratic Front.

He said the rail track doubling work from Mangalore to Kozhikode would be completed by 2001 and the Shoranur-Kozhikode line by 2003.

The Minister said the Union Cabinet had allotted Rs. 147 crores for the electrification of the Ernakulam-Thiruvanathapuram route via Kottayam and Alappuzha.

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Section  : Southern States
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