NEW DELHI, March 31: The Mumbai Suburban Railway Development Corporation, in which both Indian Railways and Maharashtra government will have a stake, will come into being within a month, Minister of State for Railways Ram Naik said today. The Railways and Maharashtra government will share equal equity in the Corporation, though operational control will be in the hands of the Railways.The corporation will take up projects to make Mumbai's suburban railway system -- the busiest in the country -- run better. As an Opposition member, Ram Naik had lobbied hard for a better deal for Mumbai commuters who travel between their homes in the suburb and their offices in the city every day.
But he defended the setting up of the corporation soon after getting the Railway portfolio. He said the decision had been taken on merit. Over 50 lakh people travelled every day on the Mumbai's crowded suburban system, which posted a profit for the Railways.
``On merit, Mumbai deserves a better deal,'' the minister said whileadding that railway projects were also on in other metropolitan cities.
Railway Minister Nitish Kumar had mentioned in his reply to the Lok Sabha debate on the Railway's interim budget that a separate corporation for Mumbai was under consideration.
According to earlier drafted proposals, Mumbai needed an investment of over 4,700 crore in the medium and long term -- including additional lines -- to make things easy for daily travellers. The World Bank had suggested setting up a corporation to make funding easier.
In another recent decision which benefits Ram Naik's home State, the Railways have restored the 30 per cent concession allowed on transporting bananas. Under Nitish Kumar's predecessor, Ram Vilas Paswan, the concession had been reduced to 20 per cent.
Though the concession applies throughout the country, banana growers in Northern Maharashtra are bound to have a word of thanks for the minister from their State.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
