M A I N   N E W S

Populist Rail Budget on cards
T.V.Lakshminarayan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 24
It will be less of a resource-raising exercise and more of a statement on grandiose plans when Ms Mamata Banerjee presents her second consecutive Railway Budget proposals on Monday.

Ms Banerjee has made it clear that she would not take any step that would harm her political interests in the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who warned of an imminent hike in rail fares is unlikely to have his way.

The minister during the last several days has been busy clearing the rails for a smooth Budget, that would earn her kudos from the common man. She would do nothing that could earn the ire of voters in West Bengal and the ruling Left combine in the state.

Discussions with the Union Finance Ministry have revolved around how the Railways can present a state of healthy finances without having to resort to unpleasant measures.

Ms Banerjee has demanded that the Finance Ministry, like the previous year, forego this year’s dividend which works out to Rs 2,375 crore. Last year, the ministry had deferred claiming the dividend of Rs 1500 crore.

Since the Railways’ gain would be the Finance Ministry’s loss, some sort of a compromise formula has been worked out which would help the two ministries balance their budgets.

Ms Banerjee is expected to harp on the increase in the revenue-earning freight traffic carried during the fiscal year. Early signs are encouraging with the revenue-earning freight traffic carried during April-December 2000-01 constituting an increase of 5.2 per cent over the corresponding period in the previous year.

Like the previous year, several new schemes to generate resources are likely to be announced. It is a different matter that the Railways has so far got less than Rs 100 crore of the estimated Rs 2,000-crore targeted in the previous year.

New schemes being mentioned this year include a rail-road cargo package to give a boost to cargo traffic in the Railways. Such an arrangement would enable even those places which are not connected by rail to use their services.

The Railways also expects to augment revenues from non-traditional sources, such as commercial publicity, commercial use of land and air space and utilisation of ‘right of way’ of optic fibre cable network.

With over 15,50,000 employees, the largest employer among public sector undertakings would announce measures towards the modernisation of infrastructure and rolling stock, induction of compterisation and information technology at an accelerated pace, enhanced manpower productivity and a significant improvement in work culture at all levels.

With a spate of accidents plaguing the Railways, considerable effort would go into the safety aspect.