Rail Budget spares passenger fares, nominal rise in freight
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, FEB 26: In an election eve budget, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today spared all classes of passenger fares from any hike, slapped a nominal three per cent increase on the freight rates of all non-essential commodities to mop up additional Rs 500 crore a year.

Presenting her second budget in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee exempted essential commodities like sugar, edible oil, salt, grains and pulses, kerosene, fruits and vegetables and LPG from the three per cent hike, alongwith parcels and luggage, newspapers, magazine and medicines.

There will, however, be two per cent increase in freight rates for coal and one per cent on furnace oil. The changes in rates would be effective from April one.

The budget has significantly stepped up the annual plan outlay for the coming year by 11 per cent to Rs 11,090 crore as against 10,002, this year, without any increase in budgetary support.

Fixing freight target at 500 million tonnes for 2001-02, a 25-million tonne increase over the current year, the rail budget projects a nine per cent growth in passenger traffic. And `other coaching' by 8.8 per cent.

Retaining the sops, she gave in her earlier budget, Banerjee announced that the concessional season ticket for people below poverty line would continue and extended reliefs available to orthopaedically-handicapped and paraplegic persons to visually and mentally-handicapped.

Banerjee announced introduction of 24 new Express trains, including two weekly Rajdhanis to Bilaspur and Hatia, increased the frequency of nine trains and extension of an equal number of trains.

Seven of the 24 trains connect West Bengal the state from where Banerjee hails.

The budget presentation was marred by angry members from Congress, RJD and NDA ally, Shiv Sena, complaining of neglect of certain states. Another ally, BJD, walked out of the House in protest.

Opposition parties dubbed the budget as ``populist'', saying it has ignored major issues like development projects and safety of the system.

Pegging the target for non-traditional sources of earnings at Rs 1,000 crore, the Railway Minister said sundry other earnings from traditional sources would increase by 5.4 per cent.

The non-traditional earnings Rs 700 crore by leasing `right of way' of optic fibre cables and Rs 200 crore from commercial exploitation of land. The remaining Rs 100 crore would come from commercial publicity.

The gross traffic receipts is estimated at Rs 39,439 crore, while ordinary working expenses has been put at Rs 30,190 crore, an increase of 8.53 per cent over revised estimates.

Total working expenses is estimated at Rs 38,683 crore, while the net traffic receipt would at Rs 755 crore.

While the net miscellaneous receipt has been fixed at Rs 928 crore, including Rs 300 crore from general revenues for safety works, net railway revenue has been projected at Rs 1,683 crore.

The railways have worked out the next year's dividend at seven per cent estimated to be Rs 2,352 crore. In view of the shortfall in internal resources, Rs 1,000 crore will be transferred to deferred dividend liability account and Rs 1,352 crore to the general revenues.

`Excess' of receipts over expenditure has been worked out to Rs 331 crore falling short of plan requirement of internal resources by Rs 500 crore.

The 11 per cent hike in plan outlay over the revised size of the current year has been done despite no increase in budgetary support which has been fixed at Rs 3,540 crore.

Market borrowings have been placed at Rs 4,000 crore and the balance Rs 3,550 crore will be met through combination of normal internal resources, non-traditional revenues and contribution from general revenues for railway safety works.

The Minister said the thrust of annual plan would be on safety, capacity augmentation and improving passenger amenities.

Allocation for new lines has been increased to Rs 1,015 crore from Rs 702 crore in revised estimates, while passenger amenities plan head gets Rs 200 crore against Rs 144 crore in revised estimates.

Track renewal plan head gets Rs 2,050 crore against revised estimates of Rs 1,633 crore -- an increase of 23 per cent.

Among the modernisation and amenities programmes, there is a proposal to issue tickets through automatic teller machines (ATMs) at major railway stations.

There is also a scheme to provide quicker information to the public through online position of running trains through cable TV, internet and cellular phones by connecting National train enquiry system to these systems.

A proposal for internet kiosks for ticket retailing isalso under consideration.

To make ticket refunds easier, it would be fully-computerised in all zonal railway.

Top priority would be accorded for providing drinking water, platform shelters, increasing the length of the platform to accommodate longest trains, raising the platform heights and ensuring adequate seating arrangements, Banerjee said.

To improve sanitation at stations, a large number of `pay-and-use' toilets would be provided along with facilities for mechanised cleaning, she said.

The Minister announced that 74 more stations would be upgraded as model stations in addition to existing 210 such stations.

Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.