Railway Budget to focus on better passenger amenities today
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to present the Railway Budget at 12 pm in Parliament today amid much speculation. Banerjee's previous stint saw finances in a mess and she must be careful not to reverse Lalu Prasad Yadav's smart ways of raising passenger revenue and should not let the Railways slip into departmentalism.
CNBC-TV18’s Economic Policy Editor Vivian Fernandes reports that the Railway Minister is likely to focus on better passenger amenities like sanitation and hygienic food, issues that were ignored by her predecessor. She may also promise quick completion of the East-West dedicated freight corridor and the extension of the Western corridor from Sonnagar to Dankuni.
Here is a verbatim transcript of Vivian Fernandes’ comments on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.
Mamata Banerjee has said that passenger amenities are going to be the focus and so one could expect emphasize on cleanliness, hygienic food aspects which were ignored by predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav with his drive for profits.
She said that the East-West dedicated freight corridor is gong to be completed expeditiously. One can expect her to announce an extension of the Eastern corridor that currently terminates at Sonnagar on the Bihar West Bengal Border to Dankuni near Kolkata,
Mamata Banerjee might be in Railway Bhavan but her eyes are set on righteous building Chief Ministership of West Bengal and Lalu Yadav has shown it is possible to cater to ones political constituency without hurting the railways and Mamata Banerjee can do likewise if she does not reverse some of the smart but not so face forward decisions taken by Lalu Prasad Yadav to enhance passenger revenues.
She will also have to show leadership and she will have to make sure that the railways do not slip in to departmentalism and that the stretched targets set by Lalu are maintained. Already the railways have scaled back the 910 million tonne set by Lalu in the Interim Budget for freight loading to 875 million tonnes. In her previous stint as Railway Minister in October 1999 and March 2001, Mamata Banerjee left railway finances in a mess. Fully Rs 98 out of every Rs 100 earned, went into expenses despite unpaid interest on government’s preference capital; it was the worst operating ratio since 1951. This time one expects Mamata Bangerjee to do better.
Railway Budget 2009
Indian Railway Budget 2009 Highlights
