The Hindu : Inadequate provision for safety: Opposition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 27, 2003

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Inadequate provision for safety: Opposition

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB. 26. The Opposition parties today expressed concern over inadequate provision for safety and criticised the rail budget for not taking up any new projects. The BJP acclaimed it stating that never before was such a popular budget presented.

The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, said the budget was an indicator of his Government's efficiency. He said it would accelerate economic activity and carry forward reforms. Talking to correspondents after the presentation, he said it was prepared in a manner that while the common man got relief, industry and trade could afford the burden.

The Congress described the budget as "status quoist and sans any initiative" to improve the finances or the functioning of the railways. The party spokesman, S. Jaipal Reddy, said it graphically exposed the increasing bankruptcy and decreasing revenues of the railways. "The Minister has confused political cowardice with populism."

The Congress leader, Shivraj Patil, said the budget "appeared to be election budget" and that it did not help expansion. There was nothing in it to make the railways more efficient.

The BJP spokesman, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said never before had such a popular budget been presented. Countering the charge that it was unveiled with an eye on elections, he said there were no polls around. In any case, if the Government presented a budget with fare hike, it was attacked of being "anti-people". So how could there be objections to proposals that are pro-people, he said.

The Lok Janshakti Party chief, Ram Vilas Paswan, said the exercise lacked imagination. He said the allocations lacked in any effort to improve customer care. The Government announced it would run several new trains without corresponding increase in new tracks.

Interestingly, the Samajwadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, described the proposals as "sweet and sour". Implementation of projects and announcement regarding new trains was the sweeter aspect while absence of new lines was the sour side of it.

The AIADMK Parliamentary Party leader, P.H. Pandian, said his party was disappointed that there were no projects for Tamil Nadu, even though the party had submitted a memorandum to the Minister several months ago.

Among the allies, the TDP Parliamentary Party leader, K. Yerran Naidu, welcomed the reduction in passenger fare and freight charges. However, he said the funds sought by the State were not allocated and its demand against bifurcation of Guntakal division, found no mention.

The Left parties were concerned that the safety aspect had been ignored. The CPI(M) Parliamentary Party leader, S. Ramachandran Pillai, said the budget did not explain how additional requirement of coaches would be met to cater to the proposal of introducing new trains and increasing frequency of others.

"If the railways intends to use old coaches, that will lead to more accidents." He said even rationalisation of freight structure was a "camouflage to increase freight charges in the case of certain class of freight".

The RSP leader, Abani Roy, too expressed the apprehension that safety and security aspects have not been attended to. The budget did not spell out any steps for providing amenities for common class passengers. "Rationalisation of fare structure too is not explained". Another RSP MP, N.K. Premachandran, was critical of the budget stating there was no new project without which development activity would come to a halt.

The All India Forward Bloc general secretary, Debabrata Biswas, described the budget as ``visionless and not at all growth-oriented''. He said there was no concrete proposal for railway safety. While welcoming the move of not increasing passenger fares, he said in freight, the Minister "did a jugglery by reclassifying certain commodities".

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