LOK SABHA ___
SYNOPSIS OF DEBATES (Proceedings other than Questions & Answers) ______
Thursday, March 12, 2015 / Phalguna 21, 1936 (Saka) ______
OBITUARY REFERENCE
HON'BLE SPEAKER: I have to inform the House about the sad demise of two former members Shri Ram Sunder Das and Shri Dadashivrao Dadoba
Mandlik.
Shri Ram Sunder Das was a member of the Tenth and Fifteenth Lok Sabhas representing the Hajipur Parliamentary Constituency of Bihar. Shri Ram Sunder
Das served as a Member of the Business Advisory Committee; General Purposes
Committee and Committee on Energy during the Fifteenth Lok Sabha. Earlier,
Shri Ram Sunder Das served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from April, 1979 to
February, 1980. He was also a member of Bihar Legislative Council from 1968 to
1977 and Bihar Legislative Assembly from 1977 to 1980.
Shri Ram Sunder Das passed away on 6 march, 2015 in Patna at the age of
94. Shri Sadashivrao Dadoba Mandlik was a member of the Twelfth, Thirteenth,
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Lok Sabhas representing the Kolhapur Parliamentary
Constituency of Maharashtra. An able parliamentarian, Shri Mandlik served as a member of various parliamentary committees during his long and active career.
Earlier, Shri Mandlik was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for four terms from 1972 to 1978 and 1968 to 19998 and served as Minister of State, irrigation, Education and Resettlement in the Government of Maharashtra from
1993 to 1995.
Shri Sadashivrao Dadoba Mandlik passed away on 10th March, 2015, 2015 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra at the age of 80.
We deeply mourn the loss of our former colleagues and I am sure the House would join me in conveying our condolences to the bereaved families.
The Members then stood in silence for a short while.
SUBMISSIONS BY MEMBERS
(i) Re: New evidence which has come to light in respect of release of
Masarat Alam, separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI RAJNATH SINGH) responding to the issue raised by several hon'ble Members said: I had made a statement in respect of a separatist of Jammu and Kashmir, Masarat Alam on 9th
March in this House. The statement I had made was based on the inputs received from Jammu and Kashmir Government. The same day, I had stated that I was not satisfied with the report received from the Jammu and Kashmir Government.
Now, the report has been received from the State Government and I have risen here to give the information to the Members in the House. The State Government has informed that 27 criminal cases are continuing against Masarat Alam Bhat.
Masarat Alam Bhat has been booked eight times, since February, 2010 under
Section 8 of the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act of 1978. The last such detention order was issued by the District Magistrate, Jammu on 15.09.2014. Such detention order issued by the District Magistrate, Jammu is to be approved by the
State Government within 12 days of the issuance of such detention order as per
Section 8(4) of the Public Safety Act. The detention order issued by the District
Magistrate, Jammu on 15.09.2014 was received in the Home Department of
Jammu & Kashmir on 09.10.2014 after the lapse of 23 days and hence the same could not be approved. The State Government has further informed that there were no fresh grounds for detention as verified from the District Magistrate, Jammu.
The grounds based on which earlier detention orders were quashed by the hon.
High Court and this detention order contained the same old grounds of detention.
The hon. Supreme Court of India had also, in March 2013, observed that if any fresh detention order is issued by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir with respect to Masarat Alam Bhat, the same shall not come into force for a period of one week from the date of communication of the order to enable him to pursue appropriate legal remedy. After some correspondence with the District Magistrate,
Jammu and State Law Department, the State Government wrote to the District
Magistrate, Jammu on 04.02.2015 vide their letter No. Home/PD/01/2014 dated
04.02.2015 informing that the detention order dated 15.09.2014 issued by him ceased to remain in force. The District Magistrate, Jammu was further informed that a fresh order can, however, be issued for detention of the detainee after following the procedure prescribed in the Public Safety Act and directions of the hon. Supreme Court. Thereafter, the detenue was released on 07.03.2015. The
State Government has also informed that a proper system is in place to have an effective surveillance over Masarat Alam Bhat’s activities. As and when anything adverse surfaces, appropriate action as envisaged by the law will be taken. The intelligence apparatus and local police work in tandem thereby facilitating planning of advance and adequate deployment of law and order components for maintenance of peace and order in areas likely to be visited by Masarat Alam Bhat and other separatist elements. The Home Ministry, Government of India, is issuing an advisory to the Government of Jammu & Kashmir on the lines after receiving information from the Government of Jammu & Kashmir: All 27 criminal cases registered against Masarat Alam Bhat should be pursued vigorously and steps also taken as per law to challenge the orders pertaining to grant of bail to him in such cases A close surveillance must be ensured on such of the activities of Masarat
Alam Bhat and his other associates and followers, which are detrimental to public order or the unity and integrity of the country in general and the State of Jammu &
Kashmir in particular. Anything coming to adverse notice must be promptly reviewed in the light of the Public Safety Act and appropriate action taken immediately. The Government has issued this advisory as well: The State
Government will ensure that the surveillance and monitoring of the activities of
Masarat Alam Bhat and his associates and followers as mentioned above, is done in close tandem with the Central Government security and intelligence agencies in the larger interest of maintaining peace and public order and normalcy in the State.
(ii) Re: Reported statement made by a Retd. Judge denigrating
Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose.
THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SKILL
DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MINISTER OF
STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI
RAJIV PRATAP RUDY) responding to the issue raised by several hon'ble
Members said: The point which has been raised by hon. Members is of course a valid point. Such a statement made by an individual was taken up in the other House is condemnable. We accept the feelings of this House. Such a remark is a derogatory and we do not accept it. We appreciate the sentiments of the Members and the House would appreciate this point that no one has the freedom to make such statements.
*MATTERS UNDER RULE 377
(i) SHRI OM BIRLA laid a statement regarding need to optimize the
utilization of funds collected under Building and Other Construction
Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996 for the welfare of labourers.
(ii) SHRI ARJUN LAL MEENA laid a statement regarding need to
introduce flight either on Udaipur-Jaipur-Kolkata or Udaipur-Jaipur-
Mumbai route.
(iii) SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL laid a statement regarding need to
put to use a new underground water reserves exploration technology
named as 'God Energy Technology' invented by a Geologist from
Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.
(iv) SHRI MAHEISH GIRRI laid a statement regarding need to frame a
land-policy to enable private Institutions and Trusts to set up new schools
in Delhi.
* Laid on the Table as directed by the Speaker. (v) YOGI ADITYANATH laid a statement regarding need to set up a new
unit of Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation Limited in Gorakhpur, Uttar
Pradesh.
(vi) SHRI SHARAD TRIPATHI laid a statement regarding need to improve
the capacity of jails and living conditions of prisoners in the country.
(vii) SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIA laid a statement regarding need to
improve BSNL connectivity in Amreli district of Gujarat.
(viii) SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN laid a statement regarding need to construct a
rail-cum-road bridge on river Brahmaputra to provide rail connectivity in
middle Assam.
(ix) SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY laid a statement regarding need
to curb pilferage of coal from the coal mines of Central Coalfields
Limited, Bharat Coking Coal Limited and Eastern Coalfields Limited in
Jharkhand.
(x) SHRI KAMAKHYA PRASAD TASA laid a statement regarding need
to shift the Railway Goods Yard from Jorhat town, Assam.
(xi) SHRI CHAND NATH laid a statement regarding need to withdraw
subsidy on export of meat. (xii) SHRIMATI MAUSAM NOOR laid a statement regarding need to
revise the tender rates for the works under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana in Maldaha Uttar Parliamentary Constituency, West Bengal.
(xiii) SHRI M. UDHAYAKUMAR laid a statement regarding need to provide
adequate irrigation and cold storage facilities to flower and vegetables
growers in Dindigul Parliamentary Constituency, Tamil Nadu.
(xiv) SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM laid a statement regarding need to
accord approval to the proposal of the Government of Tamil Nadu to
interlink Palar and Pennaiyar rivers and allocate sufficient funds for
rejuvenation of the Palar river.
(xv) PROF. SAUGATA ROY laid a statement regarding need to put a
moratorium on payment of interest on debt by Government of West
Bengal.
(xvi) SHRI SULTAN AHMED laid a statement regarding need to put in place
adequate security measures for safety of documents in Government
Departments and Offices.
(xvii) SHRI RAJAN VICHARE laid a statement regarding need to set up a
hospital equipped with all modern medical facilities in Thane,
Maharashtra. (xviii) SHRI B. VINOD KUMAR laid a statement regarding need to provide
reservation to women in State Bar Councils, Bar Council of India and
medical Council of India.
(xix) MOHAMMED FAIZAL laid a statement regarding need to dispense
with the provision in service rules of 51 Battalion of India Reserve
requirement mandatory service in Union Territories of Lakshadweep,
Daman and Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
(xx) SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA laid a statement regarding need to
initiate steps for setting up the Kishan Channel Telecast Centre in Hisar,
Haryana.
BUDGET (RAILWAYS), 2015-2016 - GENERAL DISCUSSION
DEMANDS FOR GRANTS ON ACCOUNT (RAILWAYS), 2015-2016
SUPPLEMENTARY DEMANDS FOR GRANTS (RAILWAYS), 2014-2015
AND
RESOLUTIONS
Re: Appointment of Parliamentary Committee & Recommendation to Rajya Sabha
DR. KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU: This Budget is not a mere statement of the figures of income and expenditure but also it provides for a vision how the railways are going to be developed in future. The Government has given preference to complete the on-going projects. It has not increased the fares. The
Government has made provision for augmenting the general coaches thereby increasing the number of seats for the common man. It has also made provision for ease of ticketing, increase in the speed of trains and mobile charging facilities.
It also gives emphasis on cleanliness and safety. The hon. Minister has taken a new route of developing infrastructure by attracting investment under the PPP mode. I request the hon. Railway Minister to establish a railway zone with its headquarters at Visakhapatanam. If the Railway Ministry allots more rakes for evacuation of dusty cargoes at Visakhapatnam Port Trust, the city will be saved from pollution. I request the Government to allot more number of rakes to Waltair
Division for evacuation of dusty cargoes. There is a need to introduce a new tourist train between Visakhapatnam and Araku with vista dome coaches, that is, see-through glass coaches so that tourists can enjoy the tunnels and valleys while travelling to Araku. There is also a demand for a train between Visakhapatnam and
Varanasi. I request the Government to consider re-routing of A.P. Express to run through Visakhapatnam.
*DR. SIDHANT MOHAPATRA:
*SHRI JUGAL KISHORE:
* Please see Supplement *SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL:
*PROF. RAVINDRA VISHWANATH GAIKWAD:
*SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE:
*SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK:
*SHRI ANTO ANTONY:
*SHRI CHINTAMAN NAVASHA WANGA:
SHRI RAM CHANDRA PASWAN: This is a historic and growth oriented budget which gives the Indian Railways a new direction. New train should be introduced to cater to Samastipur, Rosada, Darbhanga and Khagaria in North
Bihar. Earlier it was proposed to provide uniform and fourth grade employee status to the coolies but it has not done as yet. I urge the Government to accord the status of fourth grade employee to the coolies. I request the Government to run the trains originating from Saharsa, directly to Delhi, Kolkata and South India via
Gaya, Hassanpur, Rosada. Proposal to construct rail over bridges at railway crossings is a step to reduce accidents. I demand that the following works be completed namely - rail over bridges near Bhola Talkies on Samastipur-
Mujjafarpur line, near Rosada railway station on Samastipur-Hassanpur section, near Sharda Nagar-Sahiyardeeh, between Muktapur and Kishanpur railway stations over Darbhanga-Samastipur Road and on Hajipur-Mahua Road near zonal office.
Survey on Karpurigram to Mahua-Hajipur line has been conducted but the work is yet to start. Funds should be allocated for this work. The work on Muktapur-
Kushveshwarsthan via Scindia rail line should be completed. Funds should be provided for conducting survey on Darbhanga-Kushveshwarsthan, Khagaria-
Kushveshwarsthan, Bahedi-Shivajinagar-Majhaul-Barauni new rail line,
Kushveshwarsthan-Saharsa, Barauni-Hassanpur via Bhagwanpur-Cheria-Bariapur rail lines.
*SHRI HARISH MEENA:
*SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:
SHRI RAJKUMAR SAINI: The works like increasing the number of coaches, e-ticketing in five minutes, increasing the period of advance booking to four months, construction of over bridges at level crossings, provision of lockers at railway stations, construction of toilets at 650 railway stations and modernisation of toilets-have been proposed in this Budget without increasing fares. Provision of cold storage facilities has been made for bananas, tomatoes and other vegetables.
About 9400 kms of railway line are proposed to be doubled or trebled and 7000 kms of new railway lines are proposed to be constructed. Special care has been taken for saving electricity and environment for which it is proposed to set up solar power plants or about 1000 MW on railway land. There is a provision of installing
* Please see Supplement CCTV cameras and adding additional coaches to special trains. The provision to construct over bridges and under passes at level crossings is a welcome step.
*SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL:
*SHRI P.C.GADDIGOUDAR :
*SHRI S. R.VIJAYA KUMAR:
SHRI TARIQ ANWAR: This Government had increased rail fares by 14.5 per cent on the pretext of increase in diesel prices in international market. Now, when diesel prices are coming down, will the government pass on the benefit to the passengers. Freight rates have been increased. This will lead to price rise. All will welcome the steps of modernistion of railways, strengthening of infrastructure and provision of facilities to the passengers. There is a need to pay attention towards cleanliness in the Railways. The food served on trains is not hygienic.
There is a need to improve the toilet facilities. When the population of the country is increasing, the number of trains should also be increased to match it. Corruption in reservation is a major problem, it should be addressed properly. NF Railways needs special attention.
*SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL
*DR. A. SAMPATH
* Please see Supplement SHRIMATI KAMLA PAATLE: In this budget passenger fares has not been increased and emphasis has been laid on augmentation of railway capacity, station managements, catering facility, toilets, drinking water, skill developments, to complete pending projects instead of announcement of new projects and to improve the condition of railways by taking farsighted steps. The completion of rail corridor projects in Chhattisgarh will give the impetus to development in the
State. I demand stoppage of South Bihar Mail at Janjgir-Naila, Gyaneshwari at
Champa, Mail Express at Akaltara, Kurla Express at Baradwar etc. and also the expansion of platform, construction of sheds and provisions for better passenger amenities at these railway stations. I also demand to run Gondwana Express as fast passenger train between Raigarh to Bilaspur, restoration of Intercity express from
Korba to Raipur, to run Rajdhani express from Bilaspur to Delhi and Sampark
Kranti Express from Raipur to Nizamuddin on daily basis, to increase the frequency of Narmada Express and introduction of new express train either from
Korba or Raigarh to Allahabad.
*SHRI P. KARUNAKARAN:
*KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE :
KUMARI SUSHMITA DEV: The Indian Railways are a pride, however much the Treasury Bench may want to sound it like an under-performing
* Please see Supplement organization, an organization which is fledgling for funds. They have admittedly said that 23 million passengers travel on Indian Railways. There are more than
12,000 trains and has more than 8000 stations and 3 million tonnes of cargo goes as freight on Indian Railways. Do not use uncompleted projects as an excuse for not starting new lines beyond to my mind. Camouflaged in the garb of bio-toilets,
Wi-Fi stations, designer bed-sheets and fancy meals. The hon. Railway Minister has proposed 17000 toilets. Barrack Valley project was declared in 1997-98.
What are they going to do about connecting Agartala and Bangladesh and
Chittagong and Myanmar? This Government plans to make the ambitious railway line which is called the Diamond Quadrilateral in which north-east is not there.
There was provision in our vision document 2020 for connecting all the capitals of
North-East States.
SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA: The present Budget has increased planned expenditure by 52 percent, a separate department has been created for cleanliness and sanitation with the 40 percent increase in the budget. The provisions to upgrade 200 additional railway stations as model station, ticket within five minute, bio-toilets and to increase the number of general coaches upto six are welcome steps of the present budget. No allocation has been made in this year for doubling very old Jhansi-Manikpur route. I request that Banda to Kanpur
120 km long railway line should be doubled, extend Kanpur-Chitrakut Intercity Express upto Lucknow, trains like Tulsi Express, Durg Express and Garibrath
Express passing through Chitrakut Dham- a major pilgrimage centre in my
Parliament Constituency- should be run four days instead of two days in a week.
Chambal train should be run on daily basis.
SHRIMATI BUTTA RENUKA: There are many happy things like no increase in passengers fares. It is focus on providing cleaner coaches and stations, priority to women safety, introduction of helpline number, increasing the Nirbhaya
Fund, mobile charging facilities, wi-fi, easy ticketing, refund through banking system, multi cuisine and local food facility through reputed suppliers, to increase the daily passenger capacity and freight capacity. It is quite disappointing that no new train or new specific projects or RoB or new railway tracks are announced.
The combined AP State has projects pending worth Rs. 29,000 crore which need to be completed. As investment of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore is proposed over five years but the specific source of funds are not indicated. The country is afraid of excessive private participation which ultimately may lead to Indian Railway privatization.
This may kindly be avoided. For the Kurnool coach factory, just Rs. 50 lakhs were sanctioned against the required allocation of Rs. 10 crore which again is not very promising sign. Provision of additional reservation counter at Kurnool Railway
Station is needed. There should be an introduction of new Garib Rath train from
Secundrabad to Bangalore via Kurnool, new trains from Kurnool to Jaipur, from Secunderabad to Goa via Kurnool, from Bangalore to Mumbai via Kurnool-
Secunderabad. Stoppage of all express trains, including the Karnataka Express and
Sampark Kranti Express, should be restored.
*SHRI R. GOPALAKRISHNAN :
SHRIMATI KRISHNA RAJ: The four major points of the railway budget are - The feeling of permanent improvements to be perceived by customers and passengers, to make railway travelling safer, modernization of railway and to make railway a self-reliant organization are the focus of attention. Bullet train and
Diamond quadrilateral projects are unique features of the present budget. The steps like Nirbhaya fund, helpline no. 183, and SMS alert will give the feeling of safety to women passengers. I demand RoB/RuB across Kashiv-Nigoi route and
Jamuai-Nigoi route on NH24. I thank the hon. Minister for sanctioning of doubling of 178 km long Doza-Sitapur Cantt, starting the work on Shahjahanpur-Pilibhit railway line and sanctioning 12870 crore rupees for 330 km long Gwalior-
Shahjahanpur pending railway line. There is nearly 1000 acre land lying vacant in
Shahjahanpur which should be used for setting up a university to improve the level of education in the area.
*SHRI P. R. SUNDARAM :
*SHRI A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN :
* Please see Supplement *SHRI G. HARI :
SHRI M. UDHAYAKUMAR: We regret that the demands from Tamil
Nadu have been ignored in the Railway Budget. About 22 projects are pending due to lack of funds and 10 critical new projects, most of which announced earlier, never received financial allocations. Skill development and self-employment; launching of a coastal connectivity programme this year; 917 safety work projects, to eliminate over 3,000 unmanned crossings in all the States, by 2019, the proposed investment to the tune of Rs. 8,56,021 crore; Satellite railway terminals at 10 select stations are the salient features of the Railway Budget 2015.
Completion of Villupuram-Dindigul and Madurai-Thiruvananthapuram double projects must be get priority. I would request the Union Railway Minister to give his nod for electrification of 140 km. broad gauge section from Karur to Dindigul.
I urge upon the Minister to complete the survey for new line from Dindigul and
Kumuli at the earliest and lay a new line to Sabarimalai route through Dindigul constituency. I would request the hon. Minister to introduce EMU passenger train to operate in Madurai-Dindigul and Madurai-Virudhunagar sectors.
SHRI AJAY MISRA TENI: The hon. Railway Minister has presented a historical budget in which he has strongly indicated the expansion, modernization and to bring concrete changes in railways. He has targeted to increase infrastructure by almost one-third and proposed investment of 8.5 lakh crore rupees in next five years. There is a proposal to put in place a monitoring mechanism to ensure proper utilization of funds besides decentralization of railway management. One important aspect of this Rail Budget is that passenger fares have not been increased to increase the earnings of Railways. This Budget envisages an investment of Rs. Eight lakh fifty six thousand and 200 crore and this will be met from the Insurance, Pension Fund, World Bank, I.M.F., states' share, commercial use of railway land of small cities, CSR Fund etc. Thus, there will be no dearth of funds for the railways. There is a proposal to review the expenses to check leakages besides these concrete measures. A serious effort has been made to put the Railways back on the right track while focusing on creating the basic infrastructure and passenger amenities. The safety of women passengers has been specially taken care of. Many small things like constructing new toilets at 650 railway stations, 1700 new bio toilets, allotting lower berths to elderly persons, women and physically challenged have also been taken care of. The priority of this Budget is to provide safe, comfortable and respectable journey to passengers.
*DR. KIRIT P. SOLANKI:
SHRIMATI ARPITA GHOSH: Nothing has been provided in this year's
Rail Budget for our state West Bengal by the Railway Minister. Several projects were sanctioned in my parliamentary constituencies when Mamataji was the
* Please see Supplement Railway Minister. All these projects have come to a standstill since she demitted the office. No fresh allocation has been made for these projects. It is very strange that some of these projects have not find a mention in this Budget. The Balurghat hilly rail line is estimated to cost Rs.200 crore but only a meager amount of Rs.2 crore has been allocated for the same. No allocation has been made for the
Bunyadpur wagon factory. No funds have been provided for most of the projects of the states. We are talking about wi-fi in the 21st century, perhaps the hon.
Railway Minister might have forgotten that there are several places in our country like hilly area of Kushmandi in my area which are yet to be connected with the rail line. I, therefore, request the hon. Minister to kindly re-look at all the projects of my state particularly of my parliamentary constituency Balurghat and ensure the completion of all these pending projects.
SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL: I would like to draw the attention of the hon. Minister towards my parliamentary constituency,
Maharajganj which is a very backward area in Bihar. Maharajganj, Ekma,
Mashrak and Daudpur should be developed as model station. Besides, necessary directions should also be issued for the smooth functioning of railway ticket counters there. A rail factory should be set up on the 50 acre land available at
Maharajganj railway station as the land available would be properly utilised besides accruing revenue to the Railways. The unemployed youth would also get employment there. The incomplete gauge conversion work on the Chhapra toThave rail line via Maduada-Masrakh should be expedited. Similarly, the work on the rail line from Maharajganj to Masrakh should also be expedited. A new rail line should be constructed from Chhapra to Raxaul via Dalalpur, Baniapur,
Bhagwanpur, Malmaliya, Mohammadpur, Motihari in order to connect Champaran with train services. The bridge on the Saryu river between Manjhi-Bakulahan which is under construction should be completed at the earliest. The railway station which is under construction at Manjhi should be completed expeditiously.
A rail over bridge should be constructed between Shyamchak and Karinga on the
Banaras and Gorakhpur railway section which falls on N.H. 101. Construction of a railway engine factory at Madauda was announced several years ago. Foundation stone of this factory has already been laid and the process of land acquisition is also going on. The railway department has spent crores of rupees on this but there is a little progress on the work. A halt station should be constructed near village
Mane, Laxmipur between Daudpur and Ekma. The number of platforms should be increased at Chhapra junction and escalators should also be installed there. The
Guwahati Rajdhani Express which plies upto Delhi via Chhapra and Ballia should be made a daily train.
*SHRI BAHADUR SINGH KOLI :
* Please see Supplement *SHRI PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA :
SHRI NANDI YELLAIAH: In this year's Rail Budget, sufficient funds have not been provided for the remote or backward areas. The area from Kadwal to Macherala is a backward area. This area falls under Mehboobnagar district.
Vanparthi, Nagar Kurnool, Kalavkurti, Devarkonda are also backward areas. Such areas should have been given importance in the budget. The railway line between
Jadcharela to Nandyal was sanctioned seven years back but the work has not yet started thereon. Now, it is said that it is not a viable rail line. The major industries have come up along the rail line which passes through Mehboobnagar, Kurnool and Kadappa districts. Besides, a huge agricultural production takes place there. A new rail line on this route would reduce the distance by 127 kms. I, therefore, want that the government should give more importance to the backward areas. The then Railway Minister had announced a railway coach factory at Warrangal. This is a backward area but the work on the above factory has not yet begun. A medical and engineering college was also announced in 2009. These colleges are very important for the area. Therefore, priority should be given to these colleges.
Finally, I would like to say that all pending projects should be completed first.
*SHRI VARAPRASAD RAO VELAGAPALLI:
* Please see Supplement SHRI BHANU PRATAP SINGH VERMA: The doubling of rail line from
Jhansi to Kanpur is being undertaken. I would like to thank the hon. Minister for providing Rs.200 crore to expedite work on this project. There is not a single train from Delhi which directly connects my parliamentary constituency. There is one
Shramshakti Express train from Delhi which reaches Kanpur at 6 O'clock in the morning. This train remains stationed at Kanpur throughout the day and if this train is extended upto Jhansi then the passengers of stations between Kanpur and
Delhi could also come directly to Delhi. The Swatantrata Sangram Sainani Train which runs between Jhansi to Kolkata is a weekly train. I demand that this train should be made a daily train. There is one inter-city train in my parliamentary constituency which runs between Jhansi to Lucknow. There is only one AC Chair
Car coach in the train and it is mostly over crowded. I therefore, demand that one more AC coach should be added to the train for the benefit of the passengers.
Moreover, a general coach should also be attached to this train so that the maximum number of passengers could be benefitted. One shuttle plies from Etah to Kaunch. It arrives at Kaunch in the morning and remains stationed there for four hours. I request that this train should be run for Kaunch as soon as this reaches Etah and again it should come back to Kaunch as this will save at least 4-5 hours of passengers who have to wait for a passenger train which departs around 9 or 9.30 a.m. There is a station called Pukhrayan which falls in Kanpur Dehat. There is no stoppage of any trains. I therefore, request the hon. Minister to provide the stoppage of trains at Pukhrayan station like Pushpak Express, Udyog Nagri,
Chennai-Lucknow Express and Udyogkrami Express which run from Kanpur to
Surat by various names on different days of week for the convenience of the people there.
*SHRIMATI R. VANAROJA:
SHRIMATI P.K. SHREEMATHI TEACHER;
SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SINGH: For the first time in the history of railways it is the budget of 2015-16 which can be termed as the one having an all
India perspective and having the capability to take on the global challenges. It is a budget which is pragmatic, balanced and is free from all kinds of prejudices. My
Parliamentary Constituency Chatra is very backward and extremism infested area.
I rise to talk about such a project which had begun 85 years ago. This project was started in Barwadih-Chirimiri in 1930 and this project was meant to bring down the distance between Kolkata and Mumbai by 400 km. A large quantity of coal, bauxite and dolomite is extracted from this region even today and it provides a transportation linkage for these materials to the eastern and western parts of the country. The Chatra-Gaya rail line of this area has been pending since last 15 years. Survey of Tori-Chatra rail line has not been undertaken till date nor any
* Please see Supplement report has been submitted in that regard. I would like to request that all these railway lines should be laid down. A siding on the platform of Tori railway station exist right in between the platforms and coal and bauxite are kept on this siding due to which pollution has made the life of people miserable. Therefore I would like to draw the attention of the hon. Minister towards this problem. I would also like to say that while making State wise allocation in railway budget you should be mindful of the contribution of a particular State to the exchequer of railways.
There is a project named Lai in Jharkhand. The gauge conversion work of Tori-
Chatra-Lohardaga railway line has been pending and 13 projects for doubling of the lines have also been kept pending with the State Government. There is a need to complete them.
*DR. BHOLA SINGH :
*SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI:
*SHRI A.T. NANA PATIL :
SHRI RAJAN VICHARE: Hon. Minister of Railways have made several announcements in this budget. The announcement of undertaking investment to the tune of 8.5 lakh crore for the development of railways in the next five years is one among them. I would like to thank the hon. Minister for making a provision of Rs.
1950 crore for the revival of Thane, Mira road and Bhainder railway stations.
* Please see Supplement Through this House I would like to draw the attention of the hon. Minister towards the plan of constructing a new extended railway station between Thane and
Mulund railway stations. Adequate space is available for this railway station and the survey work and feasibility studies have also been completed. So this work should be completed. The Kopri railway bridge at the Kopri-Thane rail line should be extended. Stoppage of Mumbai-Latur Express train should be provided at those Railway Stations. Duranto(non-stop express) should be converted into a limited stop express and it should be given stoppage at all the district headquarters of Mangalore, Kunnur, Calicut and Thrichur. LTT Kochuvalli express which runs for two days in a week should be run daily. Two additional coaches should be connected in all the trains running between Panvel to Kerela. Trivendrum Jayanti
Janta Express should be give a stoppage at the Thane railway station.
SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI: This railway budget is not a budget with announcements alone. The interests of all the sections of the society have been completely taken care of in this budget. In this budget instead of making announcement for new trains more emphasis has been given on completing the old pending projects because more than 600 projects have been pending for the last 30 years. I would like to request that toilets at the Tuglakabad, Bijwasan, Palam,
Shahbad and other places which have been lying closed and unused for months should be made functional. I would also like to request that an under bridge should be constructed at Tuglakabad, Bijwasan, Palam, Shahbad because it is going to benefit 1 lakh people. A foot over bridge should be constructed at Harkeshnagar.
*SHRIMATI SANTOSH AHLAWAT :
SHRIMATI HEMAMALINI: It is a growth-oriented Budget. Mathura is an ancient city and also a pilgrim centre which attracts lakhs of devotees everyday.
Mathura Junction is an important Railway Station of Western Uttar Pradesh.
Though it is an important pilgrim centre, yet Mathura has remained neglected on the Indian Railway's map. My demand relates to setting up of a Zonal Railway
Training Institute of North-Central Railways at Mathura, rail coach factory or any other manufacturing unit of Railways at Mathura as well as a Container Depot so that the employment opportunities in Mathura may be increased. An express train to be started between Mathura and Lucknow Vrindavan Station should be upgraded and modernized. Cleanliness of Railways Station at Mathura be ensured.
Provision of drinking water and sanitation, adequate toilet facilities for women passengers be made there. Provision of escalators and ramps for old and physically challenged passengers be made at the Mathura Station. Mathura Station be given heritage station. More coaches be added for Radhani Express.
SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK: This railway budget contains several laudable points and has paid attention towards creation of facilities but no clear
* Please see Supplement cut road map has been provided as to how the quality of food and water etc. will be improved. The Government is arm twisting the Government financial institutions like LIC for fund mobilization and it is getting funds form LIC. However it has not been made clear as to what will be the rate of interest and other terms and conditions for that investment. Efforts are being made to dilute the social welfare role of the railways. There is need to make the model of the railways sustainable.
Keeping in view the importance of railways in the country, there is a need to stress on making it self sustainable rather than putting emphasis on PPP and FDI.
A train should be started from Rampur which should reach Delhi by traveling through Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar. 15662 Kamakhya Express should be run daily. 13409 Jamalpur Intercity should be given stoppage at Taljhadi. 14003
Malda-New Delhi should be run daily. 12041 Shatabdi Express, 12516 Guwahati
Express, 12510 Bangalore Express, 12514 Guwahati-Secundrabad Express, 12346
Saraighat Express and 12738 Padtik Express should be given stoppage at Pankud.
*SHRI A. ANWHAR RAAJHAA :
*SHRI RAMSINH RATHWA :
SHRI NARANBHAI BHIKHABHAI KACHHADIA: The railway budget of 2015-16 is a laudable effort. No such budget has been presented during last 65 years. This Railway Budget has been formulated keeping in mind how to
* Please see Supplement ensuring maximum development with the minimum resources. Special attention has been paid towards the poor and path breaking decisions for the development have been taken despite the resources constraint. Special attention towards sanitation has been made in this budget. The gauge conversion work of Dhansa-
Jaitalser and Junagarh in my Constituency Amreli was approved in the budget of
2012-13 but no allocation has been made for that purpose in this budget. I would like demand that an amount of Rs. 50 crore should be allocated. The survey of
Khizadiya-Amreli-Chalala-Visavadar-Dhari and Junagarh in my Constituency has been completed two years ago. I would like to urge the hon. Minister that this work should be started at the earliest. If Mahua-Surat train which presently runs on weekly basis is made to run on daily basis it is likely to yield a lot of revenue to the railways. The Surat-Ahmedabad train should be run 7 days a week.
*SHRIMATI PRATYUSHA RAJESHWARI SINGH:
*SHRIMATI RITA TARAI:
SHRI M.K. RAGHAVAN: While the announcement for safety for women is welcome, more RPF protection should be provided. The prevailing food safety is highly inadequate as food adulteration is very high and there should be a system in place to check aduleration. The drive for cleanliness on trains is a necessity.
With regard to cleanliness pantry operator should be given the responsibility of
* Please see Supplement cleanliness. I feel that the Budget is extremely disappointing for the State of
Kerala. The much needed Subari-Guruvayur-Thirunnavaya and the Tellicherry-
Mysore line still remains a pipe dream. The Hon. Minister has announced 77 projects but the doubling of the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam via Kottayam and the
Enrnakulam-Kayamkulam via Alleppy and its electrification and the completion of the doubling on the Calicult-Mangalore section and its electrification have seen only token presence. The Government should also consider including the Chennai-
Mangalore line under the fast track work for the third line announced. The fate of the Kanjikode Rail Coach Factory is a matter of grave concern. The only remedy for Kerala's development is creation of a new zone for Kerala. A PHO unit should be established at Shornur Junction in the State. I wish to request for some needs for my Calicut constituency, that the upgradation work pertaining to Calicut railway station should commence immediately. Keeping in view the heavy rush at
Calicut railways station, West Hill railway station, suburban station of Calicut should be included in the proposed satellite railway terminals. There is a need to develop Ferok station immediately. The train No. 16517 Yashwantpur-Kannur
Express train should be extended to Calicut. Byndoor to Kasargode train which has been extended to Koshikode should be further extended to Guruvayur Temple.
A Memo service between Calicut-Coimbator-Ernakulam should also be introduced. DR. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY: Announcement of bullet train is a revolutionary step. Hon. Minister has also taken a revolutionary step by granting
Rs.2300 crore for Allahabad-Mughalsarai third line and Rs.400 crore for
Ghaziabad-Aligarh third line, as a result of which Bihar, Assam and North-Eastern states are likely to be benefitted. The decision to upgrade Mughalsarai station as of international standard is also a welcome step. I am grateful for taking up the doubling of Renukut-Chopan, Ramana-Singrauli, Balia-Gazhipur, Aunihal-Jaunpur along withVaranasi-Sitapur Cantt railway line. Gauge conversion of Faizabad-
Lalganj via Akbarganj and Kanpur-Kaisarganj-Mathura railway line have been mentioned in the Budget. I would also like to request the Hon. Minister to take up the construction work of over bridge at Kachhuman and Matkatta. Year 2016 is a centenary year of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay. It is my humble request that to commemorate this occasion Deendayal Upadhyay Express or Ekatmakta train should be introduced between Mughalsarai to Delhi via Lucknow. Moreover, a mechanism should also be put in the place so that poor travelers are not subjected to harassment by GRP, RPF and railway TTEs.
*SHRI PRASANNA KUMAR PATASANI :
*DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD :
* Please see Supplement SHRI AKSHAY YADAV: I would like to request the Government to take cognizance of certain projects which were started long ago but are yet to be completed. Foremost is the Etawah-Mainpuri line. Similarly, Guna-Etawah via
Shivpuri, Gwalior-Bhind rail line project, which will connect Mumbai has not been completed for the last 25 years. Attention should also be paid to Agra-Etawah via
Fatehabad rail line and it should be completed at the earliest. Jansadharan trains should be introduced for the poor people. I would urge upon the Government that there should be at least 6 general bogies in every train. With regard to women safety, I would like to submit that separate coaches should be attached for women and armed women GRP should be deployed therein. It is my humbler request to the Hon. Minister that such posts which have been abolished due to computerization should be adjusted. It is my request to the Government that NOC should be given to the Uttar Pradesh state regarding recruitment of GRP.
Maintaining cleanliness at railway stations and trains could contribute better in
Swachh Bharat mission. There are three major stations namely, Shikohabad,
Firozabad and Tundla in my Parliamentary Constituency Firozabad. All the three stations are lacking in basic amenities. Tundla station should be made a smart station. It is my request to the Government that Mohammadpur Crossing No. 257 should not be closed. *SHRIMATI JYOTI DHURVE :
*SHRI BADRUDDIN AJMAL :
*SHRI S.P. MUDDAHANUME GOWDA:
*SHRI ARKA KESHARI DEO :
*SHRI KRISHAN PRATAP:
*SHRI HARIOM SINGH RATHORE:
SHRI P.C. MOHAN: I will speak only on two issues, that is about urban trains and upgradation of railway stations in Bengaluru city. I request the Minister of Railways to consider the long-pending Bengaluru suburban rail project. The implementation of suburban rail project will be a big boon to the city and the nearby areas such as Chikballapur, Tumkur, Doddaballapur, Hosur, Bangarapet, etc will be connected through the rail network. A lot of facilities are to be given for Bengaluru City Railway Station and Yashwantpur Railway Station. So, I would request the hon. Minister to take up the total renovation of the stations and upgrade the stations to the international standards. If the Byrappanahalli station is made a full-fledged station, most of the people who come from Maheshpuri and
CV Raman Market can board at Byrappanahalli only. I would like to thank the hon. Hon. Railway Minister for giving Rs.1 crore from MPLADS for building the
* Please see Supplement railway station in Whitefield. RoB and RuB which are pending in Bengaluru and around its areas should be completed.
DR. TAPAS MANDAL: West Bengal is not in the priority area of the NDA
Government. There is no specific Budget allocation for certain projects in West
Bengal. A project of Rs.100 in West Bengal, the allocation is very limited. Then, there is no mention of metro railway projects in the Annexure of the Railway
Budget 2015. So, Kolkata to Kalyani metro via Barackpore proposed route should be materialized. Frequency of local trains needs to be increased at least during peak office hours in Sealdah and Howrah section. The number of compartments of local trains needs to be increased from nine to 12. I also want to draw your kind attention to clean the suburban railway stations, the toilets, the bathrooms. My constituency, Ranagjat is divided by the railway stations and railway lines. An
Under Pass needs to be constructed in this area. There is need to look into the problem of rehabilitation of poor people living alongside railway lines.
SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA: The Minister of Railway has prepared this budget by keeping in view the entire country. Our 65 years old demand has been met. A new railway line from Nashirabad via Tonk to
Swaimadhopur has been sanctioned for which rupees 873 crore has been provided for. If ladies are recruited in security forces it will be helpful to lady passengers and provide more employment to women folk. In my Constituency Tonk almost 12000 girl students from all over the country come to Vanasthali Vidyapith for study but there are no facilities at the small railway station there. I request the
Minister of Railway to improve the said station and including a waiting hall, food court all passenger amenities should be made available there. Doubling of railway line from Swaimadhopur to Jaipur should be completed early. In Gangapur City station 1500 staff quarters are constructed on 200 acre of railway land which are in depleted condition and being encroached upon. I request the Minister to set up a rail workshop there so that the youth of that area could get employment therein and the railway property could be saved. There is a rail overbridge at Swaimadhopur which is damaged to good extent. I request that overbridge should be reconstructed for the convenience of people. An underbridge should also be constructed at the railway station.
SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR: Indian Railway is the lifeline, backbone of development and a better and easy mode of commutation. The hon.
Minister of Railway deserves congratulations for not hiking passenger fares. The increase made in freight charges during the recent past will lead to price hike of daily use items. No special relaxation has been given to students. It should be considered. The number of trains has not been increased in proportion to increasing population. Care has not been taken for the facility of the people travelling in general class and sleeper class. Anti-collision devices should be fitted in the trains. Fair compensation to the families of the five people killed in a rail accident occurred on 21st February 2015 at Navi Nagar railway crossing.
Attention should be paid towards Harnaut coach factory. Bakhtiyarpur to Rajgir railway line should be doubled. An overbridge should be constructed near
Biharsharif railway station. Arrangements of lighting, handpumps passenger sheds and drinking water should be made at all the halts from Fatuha to Islampur. One more pair of train should be made available for the train between Patna and
Islampur for the facility of the passengers commuting between these stations.
Magadh Express plies from New Delhi to Islampur but it returns from Patna instead of Islampur during winter. It should run upto Islampur during winter also.
*SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:
*SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:
*SHRI ADHIR RANJAN CHOWDHURY:
SHRI BHARAT SINGH: This is for the first time after independence that going through the budget presented, nobody can say as to from which State the
Minister of Railways hails. The Minister of Railway has presented a holistic budget by taking necessary measures for strengthening the entire structure and keeping in view safe and comfortable journey to the passengers. Uttar Pradesh is the most neglected and backward State I represent Purvanchal region. There is no
* Please see Supplement good train to come to Delhi from Baliya. Guwahati Rajdhani Express passes through Baliya but this train runs on alternative day. It should be made a daily train. People of Baliya live in every part of the country and for the facility of those people train should be operated to Baliya from Kolkata, Mumbai, Indore, Ludhiana and Ahmedabad. There is lack of passenger amenities at Swarnapur, Tajpur,
Dehma, Karanadihipur and Rewati railway stations. Overbridges and pedestrian ways should be provided at these places. Pawan Express should be halt at Rewati and Bakula stations. There are 4 or 5 trains which remains stationary for 20 hours at Banaras railway station. I request that those trains should be extended upto
Baliya station. The train which departs from Guwahati railway station should be made a daily train for the convenience of the people of Baliya. One train to Baliya should also be started from Faridabad. A superfast express train should ply between Baliya and Delhi.
*DR. THOKCHOM MEINYA:
*SHRI B. N. CHANDRAPPA:
SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA: This is for the first time that no new trains have been announced in the Rail budget and only improvement of railway infrastructure has been envisaged. Our rail network is the largest rail network of the world but its condition is worse. The Hisar railway station is 115 years old and
* Please see Supplement the staff quarters there are in very bad shape. Drinking water and toilet facility is not available at said railway station. Safety at this railway station is a big issue and this railway station should be made safe completely. The Department of Railway does not provide the facility of insurance on rail tickets. On long distance routes the benefit of insurance can be given to the passengers by charging one rupee more on per ticket. All the unmanned railway crossings should be converted into automatic crossings in order to check accidents. The ticketing period has been increased to 120 days from 60 days but leave of service personnel are sanctioned only 15 days in advance as such how they will be able to get reservation.
Kurukeshtra is a historic as well as religious place and efforts should be made to include it in the 9 routes which has been chalked out. Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Sirsa and half of Hisar district comes under Bikaner division they should be included in our division.
*DR. YASHWANT SINGH:
*SHRI VINOD KHANNA:
SHRI RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK: The Minister of railway through this budget not only strived to improve the financial health of railway but also made meaningful efforts to augment the capacity of railway, security increase the moral of railwaymen and overcome the deficiency of investment in railway. The
* Please see Supplement minister of railway has accorded top priority for sanitation in railway increasing the speed of trains and safety and security of the passengers. There is no need to say that the rail service is the biggest base of our economic structure. If the country is to be put on the path of progress the railway system will have to be streamlined. The Minister of Railway has presented an extremely practical and visionary rail budget by avoiding the populist measures. He has shown the courage by not announcing any new train. It has been our experience that the most of the announcement remains only on the papers and the train announced are never introduced. Ticket reservation period has been increased from 60 days to 120 days.
There is an overall increase of 52 percent in this rail budget and increase 67 percent for passenger amenities has been made. A number of trains passes through my Parliamentary Constituency Sonipath which attracts huge crowd therefore 20 coaches should be attached in those trains in place of 16 coaches which will ease the problem to a good extent. The quality of food in trains will definitely improve by having constant monitoring of it. In this rail budget efforts has been made to bring about good improvement in railway and providing more and more facilities to the passengers. Stoppage should be provided to Kalaka Shadbadi at Sonipath and Sonipath-Wahana-Jind rail line should be completed at the earliest. Stoppage to Shan-e-Punjab, Sachkhand Express and Uttar Sampark Kranti at Sonipath. *DR. BHARTIBEN D. SHYAL:
SHRI KESHAV PRASAD MAURYA: The Lok Sabha Constituency which I represent is the headquarters of north central railway and Allahabad division as well. The largest Mela of the world i.e. Kumbh Mela is organized in
Allahabad in which lakhs of devotees throng. There is no good facility at
Allahabad. I request that the rail facilities should be improve there. After the independence there has been accidents during the Mela organized in Allahabad and in inquiry railway was found responsible for the accidents. Therefore railway should pay special attention at Allahabad. The rail lines from Allahabad to
Faizabad and Banaras to Chitrakoot should be doubled. I request the Minister for an over bridge near Prayag junction. Allahabad junction is a major railway station.
Prayag, Fafamau, Rambagh, Naini, Subedarganj, Bambrauli are associated with
Kumbh Mela. As long as these stations are not developed and mismanagement in
Kumbh Mela is not checked, accidents taking place due to such mismanagement in this Kumb Mela will continue. Rail Coach Factory should be established in
Allahabad. Kaushambi became a new district in 1997 and no station has been announced for that district headquarter. Shirathu be declared a district headquarter station and all trains be given stoppage there. The present Duranto train for New
Delhi and Mumbai from Allahabad should run daily.
* Please see Supplement *SHRI C.N. JAYADEVAN:
*SHRI MEKAPATI RAJA MOHAN REDDY :
SHRI RAJVEER SINGH: I have never seen such a fine rail Budget. The most impressive aspect of the Budget is that passenger fares have not been increased and huge allocation has been made for safety. A provision has been made to reserve the lower berth for the pregnant and old people. It is commendable step. Mobile charging facility has been provided in the trains. In the last rail Budget, there was a proposal for a new rail line from Etah to Aligarh but so far nothing has materialized. Train Nos. 15040 and 15041 should have a stoppage at Ballupur station, Kasganj.
*SHRI C.GOPALAKRISHNAN :
*SHRI CHHEDI PASWAN:
SHRI RAM PRASAD SARMAH: I appreciate that the Hon. Minister, under the able leadership of our Prime Minister, has tried to cover in his Railway
Budget all sections of the society. This Rail Budget is a pro-people Budget. The
Rail way Minister has not increased the passenger fares but has concentrated on service and quality improvement of railways and completion of long pending projects. Bogibeel Bridge was supposed to be completed in 2009. There is no guarantee as to by when this rail-cum-road bridge will get completed. I am also
* Please see Supplement grateful to the hon. Railway Minister for allocating an extra amount of Rs.39,000 crore for a period from 2015 to 2019 to the States of North East region and Jammu and Kashmir. Assam and the North East have been the most neglected areas during the last 70 years. The people of Assam certainly deserve a coach building factory in Guwahati. The need of the hour is also to totally detach NF Railway from Bihar and Bengal. Rangapara Station should be declared as model station, and the Intercity Express should connect Tezpur with Guwahati. Rajdhani Express should run from Naharlagun to Delhi, at least, twice in a week. Metro Rail should be taken up from Azra in Kamrup to Jagi Road in Morigaon District. I would also request the hon. Railway Minister to put extra emphasis on Assam by adding a few more rail tracks and bridges.
*SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN:
*SHRI P. R.SENTHILNATHAN:
*SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR :
SHRI R. RADHAKRISHNAN: The Minister of railways has not given in to any populist demand. He has taken a lot of care into the cleanliness, sanitation, food, reservation of tickets and so on. The Minister of Railways has promised an investment of Rs.8.5 lakh crore in the next five years into the Railways.
Definitely, this will bring about a big thrust in the employment and in the
* Please see Supplement economic development of the country. The Minister has not made any increase in the fare of the railway users. I think now the Ministry has decided that
Government should provide adequate service for what the people are paying to the
Railways. The Railway Minister has given more importance to improving the services of the Railways. I would request the Hon. Minister on behalf of the all the
UTs to exempt them from the State's share because the entire length of Railway network covering the Union Territories would be less than 200 km. He has kept the impressive target by increasing the operating ratio to 12.5 per cent.
SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR: This is the first Budget which has been framed for the entire country. This Budget has emphasized Swachh Bharat,
Make-in-India, Digital India, Skill Development, environment and protection, promoting solar energy and extension of railways. In 2014-15 only 462 km lines were sanctioned whereas in 2015-16 length of sanctioned lines is 6608 km - which is 1330 per cent more. The Minister on one hand has paid attention to the extension of railways and on the other he has also emphasized modernization of railways. E-ticketing and Operation Five Minute are laudable. Stoppage should be provided to Rewanchal at Bharvari and Siyathu stations. Ganga Gomti Express should have a stoppage at Lal Gopalganj and Maanikpur. At least two stations in my Constituency should be upgraded to district level. SHRI TAMRADHWAJ SAHU: This Budget is likely to increase inflation.
It is a mere speech. I have never seen such a directionless Budget. The Budget has increased freight rate by 2 per cent whereas in the 2013-14 Budget it was mentioned that if price of diesel falls then passenger fares and freight rates would be decreased. Globally, the price of diesel is falling in spite of which freight rates have been increased. It has happened for the first time that no new trains have been announced. No time frame has been fixed for starting bullet trains. The improvement in catering in the trains announced by the Minister would cater to the upper middle class only. No cheaper and better alternative has been provided for the common man. Over bridge is urgently needed at sub-stations Maroda on
Bhilai-Dallirajdra rail line. A new train Durg-Indore Express be introduced via
Bilaspur-Katni-Guna. A new train should also be introduced- Trivendrum Express from Bilaspur via Durg-Nagpur-Kalyan-Madgaon. Korba-Nagpur Shatabdi
Express be introduced.
SHRI GOPAL SHETTY: Bullet train project should be started at the earliest and freight corridor project should also be expedited. This will provide more and more employment to the people. The Railway Minister by sanctioning
Rs.11500 crore of MUTP has done justice to Mumbai. In Mumbai 3500 passengers die in local trains and similar numbers are injured due to lack of doors.
Hence there is long pending demand for door closures. Those having one or two railway stalls their licences have not been renewed. The Minister has recognized the need of elevated corridor in Mumbai which is a welcome step. All railway stations in Mumbai need to be given a new look at the earliest.
** ** ** **
ANOOP MISHRA Secretary General
**Supplement covering rest of the proceedings is being issued separately. © 2015 BY LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NOTE: It is the verbatim Debates of the Lok Sabha and not the Synopsis that should be considered authoritative.
English and Hindi versions of Synopsis of Debates are also available at http://loksabha.nic.in.