Kolkata, June 16
Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav declared here today that passengers’ safety and security would get utmost priority in the Railway Budget for 2004-05 which he would present in parliament on July 6.
Mr Yadav alleged that due importance had not been given on this aspect in the past by former Railway Minister Nitish Kumar who, too, was from Bihar.
The minister regretted that yet another major train accident occurred early this morning at Raigarh, near Mumbai. The ill-fated 2620 Matsyagandha Express on the Kurla-Mangalore section was on its way to Mumbai from Bangalore. The minister said an inquiry had been ordered.
The Railway Minister, who arrived here last night from Patna by a special train to preside over the 49th annual railway national awards function at Science City Auditorium, near Salt Lake, rushed to Mumbai in an Air Force plane, canceling the function and his all other programme. The plane had flown down to Kolkata from Delhi to carry the Railway Minister and others to Mumbai.
At a hurriedly summoned press conference at Judge’s Court Rest House in the morning, the Railway Minister admitted that recently there had been several accidents as well incidents of theft and dacoity in trains which had been the causes of concern for the passengers’ safety and security.
