229 Rly. Budget, 1991-92... SHAVANA 5. 1913 (SAKA) D an . fo r Grant* 230 Gen. Discussion & (Rlys.), 1991-92 heavy industries like SPIC. There particular and Maharashtra in gene­ are many export houses and one ral. heavy water plant there. The Vagai- kulam Airport, whose construction is Kolhapur has got historical impor­ nearly over, and is solely constructed tance followed by its predominance for Tuticorin and suburban public is in agriculture and industry. Its rail­ yet to being inaugurated. I request the way station is one of the oldest sta­ Central Government to name the air­ tions in India and centenary celebra­ port after the late Chief Minister, tions had already been observed. The M.G.R. as M.G.R. Airport and ar­ Kolhapur railway station requires range for its inauguration immediate­ many improvements. Firstly, ade­ ly, with air linking of Tuticorin with quate staff should be provided to Bangalore, Madras and Trivandrum, this station. Secondly, new Platform to make the air services economically no. 3 needs shed. It should be cover­ also viable. ed, provided. The Railways have spent about Rs. 11 to 12 lakhs on (vii) Need to set up Doordarshan and railway dispensary building at Kolha­ Akashwani centres in Santhai Par­ pur. It is covered by a nice com­ gana, Bihar pound. It is a beautiful building. But unfortunately, since the opening of the [T ramkttiort] building, it is closed. For the last SHRI SURAJ MANDAL (Godda): three or four years, no staff has been Mr. Speaker, Sir, the population of provided ' to this dispensary. The Santhal Pargana in Bihar has reached Medical Officer and staff comes from 40 lakhs. Sixty per cent of its total Miraj to Kolhapur twice a week and population belongs to Scheduled treat the patients. And four hun­ Tribes. However, no Akashwani and dred railway families are staying Doordarshan Centres have been set there. During the emergency they up there, so far. have to run to Civil Hospital, Kolha­ pur and nractieally this dispensary is Therefore,. 1 would like to request closed. So, I still do not know as the Government to set up Doordar­ to why so much amount is spent on shan and Akashwani centres in the this dispensary, which is not working Santhai Pargana. properly. I would request the Rail­ way Minister to see and act upon it 13-06 hrs. and also provide some staff to this dispensary so that four hundred fami­ RAILWAY BUDGET, 1991-9 2 - lies will_be benefited. GENERAL DISCUSSION AND Now I come to reservations. Kol­ DEMANDS FOR GRANTS hapur is the last station from Bombay (RAILWAYS), 1991 -92 —Contd. and it is very close to Konkan. In­ flow of passengers between Kol­ [.English1 hapur and Konkan is quite heavy. But there is not much reservation MR. SPEAKER: Now we shall facility here. Only a few berths are take up further discussion on the there. The reservation quota of First Railways Budget and the Demands Class, A.C. Class and II Class is quite for Grants (Railways). Shri Udai- inadequate and it should be doubled. singhrao Gaikwad. I would like to bring to the notice SHRI UDAISINGHRAO GAIK­ of the hon. Minister one more thing* WAD (Kolhapur): Sir, at the out­ i.e., change of zone. At present there set I support the Railway Budget. I is a great difficulty in having reserva­ shall be very brief because oi time tion, settlement of claims and move­ limit and shall give a few suggestions ment of goods traffic because Kolhu* to the Railway Ministry, mostly con­ pur is attached to South Central Rail­ fining to my District Kolhapur in way and the headquarters of which is Dmi. for Grants 232 231 Rly. Budget. 1991-92.. JU LY 25, 1991 (Mys.), 1991-92 Gen. Discussion & [Shri Udaisinghrao Gaikwad] [Translation] at Secunderabad. They have to get SHRI KASHIRAM RANA (Su­ reservations and other claim settle­ rat): Hon. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would ments froni Secunderabad. So, Kol­ like to express my views on the Rail­ hapur should be joined with Central way Budget for the year 1991-92 pre­ Railway, which has got headquarters sented by the hon. Minister of Rail­ in Bombay, ways. First of all, I would like to Sir, I now come to loss of wagon thank the hon. Minister for fulfilling loads and pilferage. There are many a long pending demand for including complaints in this regard from Maha Surat and Sawai Madhopur Stations rashtra and more particularly relating as stoppages on the route of the Air- to pig iron and coal, which is used in conditioned Express plying between industry. Many claims have been Bombay and Delhi. One suggestion settled. Yet there are many claims that I would like to give here is that, which are yet to be settled. But the when the Government has conferred fact remains the same that the indu­ the country’s highest civilian award, stry requires raw materials to run the the ‘Bharat Ratna’ on the late Sardar industry and not the compensation Patel to honour him for the services amount for raw materials. If this rendered by him to the country, it thing will happen again and again, should also name this train after him, then the industry will come to a full- to perpetuate the memory of the late stop and become sick. So, 1 would leader in the minds of the people. request the Railway Ministry that it Further, this train runs three days a should take a serious note of it and week. Tf the trains make their de* act strongly. parture from Bombay on the days on There is one more thing and that which they leave Delhi, it would not is one extra train from Kolhapur to only make the journey much more Bombay. At present, there are two convenient to the passengers, but also trains running from Kolhapur to Bom­ remove much of the difficulties, they bay. One is Sahyadri Express and presently face. I would also say that the other is Mahalaxmi Express. enough attention has not been paid Sahyadri Express takes 14 hours and in this budget towards the passenger Mahalaxmi takes ten hours. Even amenities. Though it has spread no though these trains are running in the effort to make their purses lighter. evening, there is one more thing that The Railways expect to collect Rs. 584 they have to stop at Mirage where crores within eight months through the passengers get the connecting the increase in passenger fares. The trains for Goa and Bangalore. If hike in the fares could have been these trains are late, then naturally justified, had the hon. Minister made direct passengers suffer. So I would some provisions for the improvement plead with the Minister that the only and expansion of facilities for the solution lies in running a separate passengers. Whenever on behalf of superfast train between Kolhapur and the Passenger Associations we make Bombay sometime in the evening. a request for additional facilities to Lastly, I congratulate the Railway passengers, we are told that there is a Ministry for giving top priority to the shortage of resources and as such, Konkan railway line which was a thev are not in a position to do any­ dream of the Konkan region. Also thing at present. Consequently, daily I feel that lack of funds must not commuters and other regular passen­ stand in the way of constructing this gers face a lot of inconvenience and line. So my request is that funds difficulties. The hon. Minister of should be provided for this project. Railways has not outlined any mea­ sure in the Budget, proposed to be These are a few suggestions which undertaken to remove the difficulties I wanted to make. Again I support faced by the passengers. Similarly, the Railway Budget. for a long time, there have been 233 Rly. Budget, 1991*92— SRAVANA 3, 1913 (SAKA) Denu for Grants 234 Gen. Discussion & (Rlys.), 1991-92 demands for laying new railway lines it was introduced, we were given an and for conversion of Metre-gauge assurance that the frequency would into broad-gauge lines. However, the be increased to four times a week. hon. Minister of Railways has made Although over a year has passed it clear that conversion of the exist­ since then, it continues to run twice a ing lines and laying new lines would week. Not only this, I also feel that involve an expenditure of near about this train should go via Allahabad, as Rs. 3005 crore and that the Railway it would prove immensely beneficial Ministry is not in a position to incur to the lakhs of people from North, such a heavy amount. Thus, we find who have settled down in Surat and that this Budget doesn’t contain any Ahmedabad. Therefore, you should proposal for the conversion of exist­ see tv it that the Tapti-Ganga Ex­ ing narrow-gauge lines or for laying press goes via Allahabad. We have new railway lines. Our area has a repeatedly made our requests, in this large network of narrow gauge lines, regard to both the Railway Ministry which needs to, be converted into and the hon. Minister of Railways. broad-gauge. There is a metre-gauge However, no such provision has been line between Palampur and Ahmeda- made in this Budget also. If the bad and the people who commute on frequency of this train is increased to that route face many problems, which four times a week and if it’s route is we people, sitting in Delhi, cannot even diverted a bit to pass via Allahabad, visualize.