___

SYNOPSIS OF DEBATES (Proceedings other than Questions & Answers) ______

Wednesday, March 15, 2017/ Phalguna 24, 1938 (Saka) ______

OBITUARY REFERENCE

HON'BLE SPEAKER: Hon'ble Members, I have to inform the House of the sad demise of Shri B.V.N. Reddy who was a member of the 11th to 13th Lok

Sabhas representing the Nandyal Parliamentary Constituency of Andhra Pradesh.

He was a member of the Committee on Finance; Committee on External Affairs;

Committee on Transport and Tourism; Committee on Energy and the Committee on Provision of Computers to members of Parliament. At the time of his demise,

Shri Reddy was a sitting member of the Andhra Pradesh legislative Assembly. He was earlier also a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly during

1992 to 1996.

Shri B.V.N. Reddy passed away on 12 March, 2017 in Nandyal, Andhra

Pradesh at the age of 53.

We deeply mourn the loss of Shri B.V.N. Reddy and I am sure the House would join me in conveying our condolences to the bereaved family.

The Members then stood in silence for a short while. STATEMENT BY MINISTER

Re: Recent incidents of Attack on Members of Indian Diaspora in the

United States.

THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI SUSHMA

SWARAJ): I rise to make a statement to brief this august House on the recent incidents of attack on Indian and members of Indian Diaspora in the United States.

In last three weeks, three incidents of physical attack in the United States on

Indian nationals and Persons of Indian Origin have come to the notice of the

Government.

On February 22, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32 year old Indian engineer at GPS devise maker in Garmin was shot dead by a US national, Adam Purinton in a crowded bar in Kansas City Suburb of Olathe. Another Indian national, Alok

Madasani, present on the spot was also injured in the shooting. Ian Grillot an

American national, who tried to stop the shooting, was also shot and injured during the incident. Both the injured persons have received treatment and have since been discharged. The accused, Adam Pruinton, has been arrested by the police and the

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken over the case and is investigating the same as a case of 'hate crime'.

On March 2, Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, was shot dead by unknown individuals in Lancaster, South Carolina. According to the Sheriff and the family, the incident was, in all likelihood, a case of robbery gone wrong.

Investigations are underway to identify the culprits and to ascertain if this was a racially motivated crime.

On March 4, Deep Rai, a US National of Indian Origin, was shot by an unknown person in Kent, near Seattle in Washington State, allegedly after being asked to leave the country. We understand that Mr. Rai is safe and out of danger.

The culprit is yet to be arrested. The Kent Police Department is taking the lead in the investigation of the case, assisted by the FBI. The investigating agencies are yet to establish that it is a 'hate crime'. Shri Deep Rai has received treatment and has been discharged from the hospital.

In all three cases, the Government, through its Embassy and Consulates, immediately reached out to the affected persons and their families for extending all possible help and support. I have personally spoken to the families of Srinivas

Kuchibhotla and Deep Rai.

The Government has taken up this issue with the US Government at very high-levels and conveyed our deep concerns. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indian Diaspora and expeditious investigation into these incidents. Foreign Secretary discussed this matter in his meetings with Cabinet Ministers and senior functionaries of the US Administration as well as with the Congressional leadership during his recent visit to the US (February 28 - March 3, 2017). The US authorities have responded strongly and assured us that they are working with all concerned agencies to ensure speedy justice.

There has been widespread condemnation of these incidents by the U.S. leadership, both in the Administration and the Congress:

President Donald Trump referred to the Kansas shooting in his address to a joint session of Congress on February 28 and said that the US "stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms".

After his meeting with Foreign Secretary, Speaker of the House of

Representatives Paul Ryan issued a statement expressing the House's condolences on the killing of Srinivas Kuchibotla. The House also observed a moment of silence over the incident.

Governor of Kansas Sam Brownback has offered his condolences and assured thorough investigation. In a letter to Prime Minister, Governor Brownback has praised the "ingenuity, hard work and determination" of the Indian Diaspora as well as their contributions to the state of Kansas. He has assured that Kansas will remain " a welcoming, hospitable place" for Indians.

Several Senators and Congressmen have also expressed their condolences and regret over the tragic incidents. They have been deeply appreciative of the contribution and role of the Indian community in the U.S. Most recently, on March 9, US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly issued a statement strongly condemning the incidents. In his statement, he said - "I strongly condemn any violent acts to perpetuate fear and intimidation not only against individuals, but entire communities. I pledge the full support of the

Department of Homeland Security to assist local, state, and federal investigations into these incidents." Secretary Kelly further said - "the United States has a history of welcoming and accepting individuals regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or national origin." He committed that his Department will work closely with foreign governments whose nationals have been affected by these violent acts.

People-to-people contacts are the foundation on which the India-U.S. strategic partnership has been built. The fact that broad sections of the American society have expressed their deep sorrow and regret over these incidents reassures us that despite these individual incidents, the American society values the people- to-people engagement between our two countries.

In the discussion on March 9, Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab and Shri Mohammad

Salim referred to a 'travel advisory' issued by the US Government which apparently advises the US nationals against travelling to India. I would like to inform the Hon'ble Members that there is no Travel Advisory in force for India at present. A reference to India has been included in their "Worldwide Caution" report which the US State Department releases every six months (in March and September every year). These are in the form of broad assessment of threat perceptions. Such references to India have been include in previous reports as well and do not reflect the change of Administration in the US. In fact, India-specific references were far more detailed in previous reports. Having said that, issuing travel advisories is a well-established global practice and Government of India has also issued travel advisories in the past for Indian citizens visiting the U.S. in specific situations.

A related question was raised by the Hon'ble members whether the

Government plans to issue an advisory for Indians travelling to or residing in the

US. I would say that prompt and clear response of the U.S. political leadership and the law enforcement authorities to these incidents and the widespread messages of sympathy and support from all quarters in the U.S. give us confidence that these incidents are acts of individuals and do not represent the overwhelming sentiments of the American people towards India. This was demonstrated by the American national Ian Grillot who suffered serious injury while helping the two Indians. I have saluted his heroism and am sure the House joins me in wishing him speedy recovery.

Finally I would like to reassure this House and the Members that safety and security of Indian Diaspora abroad remains a top priority for this Government. We are in a continuous dialogue with the US Government. Close contacts with the local Indian community groups are being maintained through our Embassy and

Consulates to address any emergent issues. We will remain vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indians abroad and do everything possible to safeguard their interests and welfare. I would also like to submit that the

Government never remains silent when any Indian is in difficulty abroad. This is not our style of functioning. The whole House and the country at large have been witnessed the fear that if even one Indian faces crisis abroad, we make every effort to ease his tribulation. I would like to submit that at the time of this incident, despite our hon. Prime Minister being engaged in canvassing, he continued to take stock of the plan of action of the MEA in this regard. I personally talked to the father of Srinivas and his elder brother K.K. Shastri at on the day this incident happened. I also made a call to his wife Sunaina at Kansas. The wife of

Srinivas has conveyed her thanks to the Counsel General through a letter for the assistance she received at the time of crisis. Similarly, the father of Deep Rai also thanked me. I would like to submit that it would be grossly incorrect to say that we did not raise this matter and we remained silent. Such an allegation has not been leveled even by those who themselves have faced such incidents. I would like to assure the House that the Government shall never remain silent on any such incident and would do more than what is expected from us. *MATTERS UNDER RULE 377

(i) SHRI RAM PRASAD SARMAH laid a statement regarding

construction of Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Project in Assam.

(ii) SHRI SHYAMA CHARAN GUPTA laid a statement regarding need

to develop a mechanism to evaluate the real value of property

mortgaged against a bank loan to reduce the increasing NPAs of

banks.

(iii) SHRI GANESH SINGH laid a statement regarding need to review

the eligibility norms under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

(iv) SHRI MANSHANKAR NINAMA laid a statement regarding need

to implement Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana in Banswara

Parliamentary Constituency, .

(v) SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH laid a statement regarding need to

establish an ESI Super-Speciality hospital in Aurangabad, .

(vi) SHRI GOPAL SHETTY laid a statement regarding need to

introduce digital voting system in the country.

(vii) DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK' laid a statement

regarding need to develop solar and wind energy projects in hill states.

* Laid on the Table as directed by the Speaker. (viii) COL. (RETD.) SONARAM CHOUDHARY laid a statement

regarding need to amend the guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Gram

Sadak Yojana to facilitate construction of roads in all habitations in

desert areas of Barmer Parliamentary Constituency, Rajasthan.

(ix) SHRI BABULAL CHOUDHARY laid a statement regarding need to

provide remunerative price of potato to farmers in the country.

(x) SHRIMATI RAKSHATAI KHADSE laid a statement regarding

need to review the man power in Ordnance Factories.

(xi) SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL laid a statement regarding need to provide

environmental clearance to drinking water project for Sirohi district,

Rajasthan.

(xii) SHRI NISHIKANT DUBEY laid a statement regarding developing

cultural tourism of Deoghar, .

(xiii) SHRI THUPSTAN CHHEWANG laid a statement regarding need

to restore telecommunication services in region.

(xiv) SHRIMATI RANJEET RANJAN laid a statement regarding need to

undertake gauge conversion of Saharsa-Farbesganj railway section in

Bihar.

(xv) SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN laid a statement

regarding air pollution in . (xvi) SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN laid a statement regarding

reopening of closed Nokia Plant in Sriperumbudur in .

(xvii) SHRI A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN laid a statement regarding need

to provide compensation to those displaced on account of setting up of

Neyvelli Lignite Corporation Ltd.

(xviii) DR. MAMTAZ SANGHAMITA laid a statement regarding need to

re-start Air India flights to certain sectors from .

(xix) SHRI ARKA KESHARI DEO laid a statement regarding need to set

up a fertilizer depot in Kalahandi parliamentary constituency of

Odisha.

(xx) SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV laid a statement regarding need to

expedite laying of underground cable for broadband service in

Buldhana parliamentary constituency, Maharashtra.

(xxi) SHRI JAYADEV GALLA laid a statement regarding need to set up

a CGHS Wellness Centre at Amravati in Andhra Pradesh.

(xxii) SHRI B. VINOD KUMAR laid a statement regarding need to set up

a Mega Leather Park at Rukmapur in Karimnagar, Telangana.

(xxiii) SHRIMATI P.K. SHREEMATHI TEACHER laid a statement

regarding need to provide adequate funds for development of

Azhikkal Port in . (xxiv) SHRI RADHESHYAM BISWAS laid a statement regarding need to

rehabilitate people residing long international border with Bangladesh.

(xxv) SHRI JAI PRAKASH NARAYAN YADAV laid a statement

regarding need to start work on sanctioned railway projects under

Eastern Railway Zone in Bihar.

(xxvi) SHRI C.N. JAYADEVAN laid a statement regarding widening of

Pattalam Road in Thrissur town, Kerala.

SUBMISSION BY MEMBERS

Re: Need to conduct an inquiry into the suspected suicide of a Dalit

student of JNU.

THE MINISTER OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS AND

MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI ANANTHKUMAR) responding to the issue raised by several hon. Members, said: The entire House shares the grief about the sad demise of a JNU student, Muthu Krishnan.

Immediately as soon as this tragic incident happened, the JNU authorities have rushed and tried to provide all the assistance to his parents. Now, the post-mortem is on in AIIMS and Delhi Police is investigating into the matter for the reasons of his death and a suitable action will be taken. UNION BUDGET - 2017-2018

DEMANDS FOR GRANTS - 2017-2018

Ministry of Railways - Contd.

SHRI RAMEN DEKA: My constituency falls in Darrang District and it is not yet connected with the railway. Though I raised this issue many times during

15th Lok Sabha, now also, I request hon. Minister of Railways to connect Darrang

District with the railways. Darrang District is the most underdeveloped district where much of the crop is being grown but it cannot be taken to the main market in

Guwahati. There is a demand to connect Darrang District from Changsari to

Siplajhar to Kharupetia to Borsala to Tezpur immediately. Rangia and Tezpur are very old stations. So, they should be declared as heritage stations. More rails should be introduced between Lumbding and Agartala. I demand stoppage of all

South-bound and Delhi-bound trains at District Headquarters of Nalbari. I would also like to request the hon. Minister to introduce a train from Rangia to Dekargaon connecting all stations with stoppage of all passenger trains so that people get connectivity to reach Tezpur. Further, I would like to request our hon. Minister to see to it that the connectivity of the Darrang District happens this time in reality.

DR. THOKCHOM MEINYA: Manipur has no proper train connectivity till now, and in Goa the Konkan Railway Corporation, a subsidiary of Indian

Railways is running the trains. Here they have three new lines on-going projects. Again, the Budget has miserably failed to throw any light on the time-bound completion of these projects. Projects delayed for whatever reason cause time overrun, cost escalation and heavy loss to the end consumers. The foundation stone of Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal Railway line was laid in 2005 by the then Prime

Minister. It is again rescheduled to be completed by 2019. Coming to the new projects sanctioned, I would very humbly state that a better planning for the timely completion of the projects still remain to be put in place. The some targets as fixed by the Ministry may be strictly adhered to. They are as follows: Imphal will be connected to the new line from Jiribam to Tupul by December 2017 and from

Tupul to Imphal by March 2019. Sairang near Aizwal will be connected by train to Bhairabi in 2018. Kohima will be connected to Dimapur in 2020. Shillong will be connected to Byrnihat in 2018. Gangtok will be connected to Rangpo by 2020.

*SHRI DUSHYANT SINGH:

* SHRI P. R. SUNDARAM:

* SHRI R. GOPALAKRISHNAN:

* SHRI B. SENGUTTUVAN:

* SHRI OM BIRLA:

* SHRI P. KARUNAKARAN:

* Please see Supplement. * SHRI RAJENDRA AGRAWAL:

* SHRI A.T. NANA PATIL:

* SHRI RODMAL NAGAR:

* DR. KULMANI SAMAL:

* SHRI JITENDRA CHAUDHURY:

* SHRI RAMCHARAN BOHRA:

* SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

* SHRIMATI P. TEACHER K. SHREEMATHI:

* SHRI S.P. MUDDAHANUME GOWDA:

* SHRI BIRENDRA KUMAR CHOUDHARY:

* SHRI DEVENDRA SINGH BHOLE:

*DR. RATNA DE (NAG):

* SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE:

*SHRIMATI SANTOSH AHLAWAT:

*SHRI S. R. VIJAYA KUMAR:

* SHRIMATI JAYSHREEBEN PATEL:

SHRI GANESH SINGH: First of all, I would like to thank the hon. Prime

Minister for taking a historic step and saving the Railways from the crisis being faced by it by merging the Railway Budget with the Union Budget. It will exempt

* Please see Supplement. the railways from paying the dividend thereby saving the Railways Rs. 4500 crore per year. The merger of Railway Budget will provide the Railways a relief with regard to announcement of popular under political pressures. This Budget will usher in a multi-model transportation scheme between Railways and the inland waterways. I would like to draw the attention of the government towards Madhya

Pradesh. has been constantly ignored during the UPA

Government. Rs.632 crore have been provided between the year 2009 and 2014, but when the NDA Government came into power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji ensured the provision of Rs.2871 for Madhya Pradesh only during the year 2014 and 2017. I would like to draw the attention of the Government to Lalitpur-

Singrauli. This Scheme was approved in the year 1997-98. This Scheme is of 541 kms. An amount of Rs. 6093 crore was envisaged to be spent on this scheme, but till date only Rs.622.7 crore have been spent thereon. This is a matter of concern as to when this scheme will be completed. It is my suggestion that if work is started at four places simultaneously i.e. Satna to Panna, Khajuraho to Panna,

Rewa to Seedhi, Singrauli to Seedhi, then only this project could be completed on time. The electrification of the Rail line from Itarasi to Chhowki, which had been sanctioned in 2010-11 has not been completed as yet. This work may be started urgently. I would like to submit that there is an urgent need to construct an ROB at

Uchera between Satna and Maihar and at Birhauli between Satna and Rewa. These two tracks are quite busy and accidents take place there frequently. As such,

ROBs are required to be constructed there. A train may also be introduced between Satna-Rewa to . A halt may be made at Ghunwara. I would like to demand that stoppages may be given at Jadwara of the Rewa-Anand Vihar train

No. 12427/12428, at Andhara of Sarnath Express, at Majhgam of Kamaini Express and at Baghai of Intercity train. The Satna railway station at Satna district is the most profitable station in the West Central Railway. If a MEMU car set factory is established over there, it will be much beneficial for the Railways. There is a need to change the coaches of Rewa-Anand Vihar Express and Jabalpur-Delhi

Mahakaushal Express. With these words, I fully support the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Railways for the year 2017-18.

SHRI TARIQ ANWAR: In Katihar city, there lies a vacant land of about

111 acre along the Katihar-Barauni rail line near Gaushala. The Railways can start any new work or set up any industry like a coach repairing factory thereon.

The train No. 15227/15228, the Muzaffarpur-Yashwantpur Express train plies once a week. This train should ply on all days of the week. An over bridge each at

Bhagwan Chowk near KV Jha College on the Katihar-Manihari rail line and at

Raghunathpur railway crossing on the Barsoi Tunigiri rail line needs to be constructed urgently. The expansion of rail line from Balighati Tejnarainpur upto

Bhaluka railway station of under the Katihar Railway Division needs to be undertaken. The quota of seats for the passengers of Katihar needs to be increased in the train No. 15645/15646 and train No. 15647/15648 the Guwahati

Lokmanya Tilak and Train No. 2251 and 2252 and 12519/12520 the Kamakhya

Lokmanya Tilak Express, train No. 13245/13246 the , train No.

13163/13164 Hatebazar Express and train No. 15227/15228 the Muzaffarpur

Express train. Besides, the emergency quota for the Katihar Railway Division should also be increased. Since our area is very backward, I, therefore, request the hon. Minister to kindly pay special attention to it.

SHRI G. HARI: The North-South Dedicated Freight Corridor from Delhi to

Chennai should have been extended up to Thoothukudi. Similarly, the East Coast corridor, could also been extended up to Thoothukudi. I urge the Union

Government to take necessary steps for the implementation and speedy completion of the important East Coast Railway project in Tamil Nadu. I also urge upon the

Government to support the proposed Phase II of the Metro Rail Project of and to ensure that all necessary clearances are provided expeditiously to provide fillip to the public transport system in the Chennai metropolitan City. The

Tindivanam-Nagari BG line project was inaugurated in 2007 but very little progress has been made so far. The railways have allotted Rs. 10 crores for the project in 2016-17. This is a meager amount for the progress of a very important project. The Ministry has a fixed timeframe target to complete this BG line before 2020. Because of this inordinate delay, the total cost of the project has escalated to

Rs. 1080 crores from Rs. 498 crores. Therefore, I urge the Union Government to take all possible steps to allocate sufficient funds for the speedy execution of above rail line. On behalf of the people of my Arkkonam constituency, I urge the hon. Minister to establish a new railway station near Vadamambakkam village between Arakkonam and Itchiputtur stations. There is an urgent need for creating a stoppage for the trains 12685/12686 Express and 12164 Dadar

Express at Arakkonam. The Trivandrum Mail Train No. 12624 should be given a stoppage at Arakkonam and Tiruttani. Also there is a need for stoppage for all trains, particularly the Brindavan Expess at Sholinghur railway station. I request the Union Government that pending Railway Projects pertaining to Tamil Nadu should be provided with adequate funds. I also request for expediting the completion of important railway needs of people of Tamil Nadu and Arakkonam constituency well within the stipulated time frame.

SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR RAY: Rail network in Jharkhand falls under four divisional offices. Earlier a zonal office was considered to be set up in

Jharkhand but in the last moment it was shifted to Hajipur from . So, I would like to request the government to set up a zonal office in Jharkhand. One of the important demand pertaining to Jharkhand is that main-line and line of railways should be interconnected. It is my request that rail connectivity between -Dhanbad via Madhupur should be materialized so that whole of the extremist infested area may be connected with rail link. I would also like to request that Madhuban should be provided with railway link. In addition to that, effort should be made to operate on daily basis. Three important stations of my area i.e. Koderma, Hazaribagh and Parasnath should be upgraded as model station. Moreover, I would also like to request that various pending projects pertaining to Jharkhand should be completed. Work pertaining to

Chatra-Gaya railway line should be expedited by increasing the budget allocation.

Similarly, work pertaining to Barwadih-Chirmiri railway line should be undertaken. There is a need to operate a Jansatabdhi train between the capital city of Jharkhand Ranchi and the second capital city Dumka. In addition to that, it has become imperative to introduce trains to Mumbai, Surat and Ahmedabad from

Ranchi. I would also request to reconsider the flexi ticket system.

*SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN:

* SHRIMATI ANJU BALA:

* DR. YASHWANT SINGH:

* Please see Supplement. SHRI MUTHAMSETTI SRINIVASA RAO: I would like to mention about some railway lines and projects pertaining to the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The Government of India had assured during the formation of the State that a new

Railway Zone will be set up at Vishakhapatnam in the State of Andhra Pradesh, comprising of three Divisions, namely Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal and the

Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway. It has become a sentimental issue since it is pending for last ten years. It is now obvious to integrate the three

Divisions of South Central Railway with Waltair Division of the East Coast

Railway and give the State of Andhra Pradesh a new Railway Zone to give fillip to its economy. This would provide employment opportunities to the youths of the

State. With regard to my constituency, I would like to request the Government to develop the Anakapalle, Duvvada and Pendurthi as model stations. I would also like to request the Government to increase the amount to complete the survey and also the new Railway line between Narsipatnam and Kotthavala. I would also request for introduction of two new passenger trains from Samarlakota -

Visakhapatnam - Samarlakota should be introduced during day time because many passengers are travelling from Rajamundry to Visakhapatnam.

*SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT:

* SHRI GOPAL SHETTY:

* Please see Supplement. SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV: I feel that in this budget life line of our country Indian Railway has been undermineed. I would like to point out certain serious problems of the railways. Number of underpasses built between Bareilly-

Badayun section is very less. Moreover during the rainy season various problems arises due to inundation which causes heavy traffic jams in the area. Work pertaining to the gauge conversion of Badayun-Kasganj rail line has been completed but I would like to request the government to take-up the electrification and doubling work also alongwith the gauge conversion. I would also like to request that Badayun should be connected via rail link to Delhi and Lucknow.

Similarly, ROB should be constructed at Lal Phatak in Bareilly. Work pertaining to Mainpuri-Etawah rail line has been completed but train services are yet to be introduced. Apart from that common people are facing lot of inconvenience due to non-availability of General bogey in trains. I would also like to request that bullet train services should also be introduced in .

DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR: Railways have been allotted Rs. 55 thousand crore as Union Budget assistance. In addition to that, railway would mobilize 14 thousand crore rupees from its internal resources and 62 thousand crore rupees from other than budgetary allocation. I would like to request the government that

Lalitpur-Singrauli rail line project should be completed at the earliest by constructing tunnel in the Panna Tiger Reserve forest area. There is also need to provide stoppage of all the express trains at Orcha. Similarly, intercity express should be introduced between Khajuraho and Indore at the earliest. There is a need to introduce a Mazdoor express train from Jhansi to Delhi via Tikamgarh. In addition to that, setting up of railway university and training centre at Tikamgarh will boost the industrial and educational development in the area. There is a need to set up a rail coach factory in the Chhattarpur area which is an important industrial hub. Similarly, stoppages of all the trains should be provided at Dumra station. Taj express should be extended upto Khajuraho, a place international tourist importance. There is a need to construct another platform and foot over bridge at Nimadi and Harpalpur station. Work pertaining to the railway bridge on

NH-77 near Harpalpur station should be completed at the earliest. Similarly railway line should be constructed after completing the survey work pertaining to

Jhanshi to Orcha, Prithvipur, Tikamgarh, Dhuwara, Shahgarh rail line. Stoppages of all the express trains should be provided at Teherka station. In addition to that it has become imperative to undertake the doubling and electrification of Lalitpur,

Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Khajuraho rail lines. A new train services should be introduced from Tikamgarh to the economic capital of our country Mumbai.

*SHRI DADDAN MISHRA:

* Please see Supplement. SHRI RADHESHYAM BISWAS: We all know that Indian Railway is lifeline for the Indians. But even after 67 years of Independence, the North East

States of India are yet to be connected with railway network properly. I would request the Government to assure us that he would expedite the work for completion of Bogibeel Bridge, Rangiya-Mukongselek broad gauge conversion,

Dhudhnhoi - Mednipathar new line, board gauge railway line from new Moinaguri to Jogighopa and Dullabchera to Cherragi under NF Railways of Assam. Hike in freight rate is also matter of concern which is putting additional burden on common people. I would also like to draw the kind attention about a long term demand of my constituency to declare Badarpur as Railway Division. I would request the Government to re-open the railway lines that have been closed and non- functional for years and upgrade Dhubri and Mahisashan stations as model stations. I would like to request the hon. Minister to introduce some more new trains for the people of North Eastern States. Such as introduction of Rajdhani

Express from Agartala to , new trains between Dhubri to Guwahati,

Boirabhi to Guwahati, Boirabhi to Tinsukiya are the main demand of this State.

Construction of new railway lines from Patharkandi to Kahnmun of Mizoram and in Barpeta district alongwith the construction of RUB/ROB at different crossing is also needed in Hailkandi, Karimganj, Goal Para, Dhubri and Barpeta district in

Assam to avoid accidents. *DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

* SHRIMATI RITA TARAI:

SHRI KAMAKHYA PRASAD TASA: It is our demand that some sort connectivity should be provided to the North-Eastern states. In the budget 37 project have been provided for the North-Eastern Areas and work is going on. It has brought some sense of hope among us that our area would be provided connectivity with the main land. Now, rail connectivity is available for

Arunanchal, Manipur and Tripura. Previously there was no rail connectivity in

Manipur but now it is being constructed. I would request that work pertaining to

Shivsagar-Jhorhat, Salna-Khumtai, Tezpur-Silgar, Saraighat-Bridge, Kamkhya-

New Guwahati rail line should be completed at the earliest. Similarly, upgradation of railway stations is also needed. There are 20 major railway projects including 13 projects for new lines, two projects for gauge conversion and five for doubling of lines in this area. It will be good if these projects are completed without delay.

The speed of the Jan Shatabdi and the which provides connectivity to the main land should be increased. The should be extended from Guwahati to Dibrugarh. The another thing is that the North East has to face problems related to Railway Over Bridges. Hence, I would like to

* Please see Supplement. request that the construction of Railway Over Bridge should be financed 100 per cent by the Central Government. As far as upgradation of stations are concerned, the major stations like Tinsukhiya, Shivsagar, Moreni, Shimligudi and Jorhat should be included therein. I would also like to request that the speed of the trains plying from Arunachal Pradesh should be increased and the timing of movement is also required to be monitored. The quarterly meetings of zonal committee should be held regularly by including the Members of Parliament which will bring good result.

*SHRI HARISHCHANDRA CHAVAN:

SHRI ANTO ANTONY: First of all, I would like to raise my concern over the merger of the Railway Budget with the General Budget. Since the Railways need a huge amount for enhancing the safety measures and modernization, what is desirable is a separate Budget for the Railways. Therefore, I request the

Government to reinstate the Railway Budget. The present Government declared that 400 railway stations in the country would be modernized under the PPP mode.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the Government for continuing with this model. Tiruvalla station the only railway station in my Parliamentary

Constituency, is also included amongst these 400 railway stations to be modernized under the PPP mode. Tiruvalla Railway Station is the nearest point to

* Please see Supplement. Sabrimala Shrine, which is a national pilgrim centre attracted by about 4 crore of devotees across the country every year. Therefore, I request the Government to grant stoppage to Jan at Tiruvalla Railway Station. Moreover,

Sabarimala is one of the largest pilgrim centres in the country where the devotees visit a Muslim mosque first and then proceed to . Therefore, I urge the

Government to take immediate steps to start construction of Sabari railway line in

Kottayam District.

*SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI: This is a historical budget earmarking a corpus of Rs.1,31,000 crore to implement the decisions taken for safety, proper management and for developing a sort of infrastructure. Rs.1 lakh crore has been provided for the safety of railway in this Budget to construct under- pass and ROBs on all the broad-gauge railway crossings and to install signals by the year 2020. This is a historical decision. People had been demanding for years to convert the railway lines of 152 km from Mavli to Marwar into broad-gauge and this Government has approved this plan with the outlay of about Rs.1600 crore. I would like to thank the hon. Minister for this move. I would like to demand from the Government that the ongoing doubling of railway lines between Chittor to

Nimach should be extended to Ratlam. If a survey of railway lines for doubling is

* Please see Supplement. conducted in Ajmer, Udaipur and Chittor, the fast trains like Rajdhani and

Shatabdi will also be able to ply on those tracks. The constituency I represent is known to be the largest cement hub in Asia and if a marble container depot is set up there, then the people will not have to go for a long distance. I would also like to demand from the Government to establish an electric shed in Chittor as it will facilitate the maintenance work as well as the execution of other work. If Chittor is chosen for setting up of for electric shed, it will create job opportunities for the people of this area. It is also demanded from the Government that a DEMU coach factory should be set up in Chittor itself so that this area may be led towards development. The Mumbai-Bandra and Udaipur-Ajmer should be plied every day.

I, through you, would also request the Government to introduce a direct train from

Chittor to Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the south.

SHRI RAM KUMAR SHARMA: The important aspect of this Budget is that the railway has now been exempted from the payment of annual dividends of

Rs.9700 crore on its total capital of Rs.227 lakh crore. I would like to demand from the railway Minister that the washing pit should necessarily be constructed in

Sitamarhi where land is available for this purpose, so that trains may originate from Sitamarhi to other places. At the same time, I demand that a train which plies from Narkatiya Ganj to Raksaul and from Raksaul to Muzaffarpur, should be extended to Patliputra via Raksaul and Sitamarhi in order to provide connectivity between Sitamarhi and Patliputra. This will benefit to the people from Sitamarhi and Seohar. Moreover, a DEMU train which used to run from Darbhanga to

Muzaffarpur has been discontinued. I demand that the same be reinstated from

Darbhanga to Patliputra. Besides, a weekly train running from Katra to Kamakhya should be run on bi-weekly basis.

*ADV. JOICE GEORGE:

* KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE:

SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK: The way hon. Rail Minister has made efforts to check rail accidents deserve appreciation. The expenditure of Rs.35000 crore every year on the construction of rail tracks will lead our country to the growth trajectory. The district Singrauli which comes under my parliamentary constituency, Sidhi is known to be a big power hub. But I am constrained to point out that my constituency remained deprived of rail connectivity for long due to the indifference of the erstwhile dispensation. I would like to thank the present

Government for providing over Rs.1000 crore for Lalitpur- Singrauli railway line during the last two and half years leading to the hassle-free execution of our projects. The hon. Rail Minister announced a new train from Singrauli to Delhi and which should be run without delay. I humbly request that the stoppage of the should be provided at Vijayshrota and Joba railway

* Please see Supplement. stations. The ongoing doubling and electrification work between Katni and

Chopan needs to be expedited. Directives should be issued to the officers for this purpose. More important point which I like to make is that the Lalitpur- Singrauli railway line project, is being implemented between Riva and Singrauli should be completed at the earliest.

*SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM:

SHRI RAJESH RANJAN: 120 crore people of the country expect that the

Hon. Railway Minister will work in such a way that will make our system people- friendly. He delivered only on 72 promises out of 132. I would like to urge that the confirmed tickets should be provided at concessional rate to the students for journey enabling them to appear at competitive examinations. Moreover, the people from BPL and the deprived family specially from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh should be provided confirmed tickets to travel to the other places for the treatment of diseases like cancer, TB, brain tumour and heart ailments. At the same time they should be charged only half of the prescribed fare. I would also like to urge that the process of getting tickets confirmed needs to be simplified. More importantly the role of middle men in this process should be checked. I would also like to request that special coaches should invariably be provided for labourers.

The availability of confirmed tickets for them should also be ensured. The persons

* Please see Supplement. doing petty jobs on the railway lands for their livelihoods should not be harassed.

Catering facilities are not upto the mark in any train. Work on the Saharsa-

Forbesganj rail section is not at the required pace. No funds have been allocated for the Kursela-Bihariganj section. The work on the Banmankhi-Bihariganj section is going on a slow pace. Even after independence Seohar is yet to get a rail connection. It is very essential to connect Rajgir with Bodhgaya and with

Hajaribagh. Rajdhani express should run twice a week via Saharsa and Purvia express as well as Garibrath should run daily. Delhi should be connected with Saharsa with a train like Sampurna Kranti express. Intercity should connect

Jainagar with Saharsa. The train touching should run thrice a week via

Madhepura to Purnia-Katiyar. Stoppage is necessary for Dibrugarh-New Delhi

Rajdhani express 12423/12424 at Khagariya. I have also requested for a rail over bridge at Sahebganj. DRM office should be opened in Saharsa.

*SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

SHRI SHARAD TRIPATHI: Sant Kabir Nagar known as Khalilabad station has not been made a junction. The hon. Minister of Railway got the rail line surveyed. For the laying the tracks the hon. Minister has allocated Rs.8530 crores and for ROBs Rs.1538 crores have also been allocated. Not only this for electrification Rs.376 crores have been provided. Khalilabad railway station

* Please see Supplement. should be named Sant Kabir Nagar railway station. Special trains should be introduced from here for Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. An Inter-city express be introduced from Khalilabad to . Jan Nayak express, LTT express and Gorakhpur-Dehradun Train No. 5005 be provided stoppage at Sant

Kabir Nagar. Showing special sensitivity, the hon. Prime Minister has provided more than Rs.8000 crores for the North Eastern states. A train should be introduced between Akbarpur to Ramnagar via Sultanpur upto Azamgarh. A train has been provided between Sahjanwa to Dohrighat. It should be run via Khajni

Vidhan Sabha to shorten the distance and reduce the operating cost.

*SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR: The functioning of Railways is going to be bad to worse. Some of the serious rail accidents in the past 2-3 months pose a big question mark regarding the safety and security of the Railways. RPF should be strengthened and GRP should be merged with it. Railway safety should be top most priority. For the first time after independence, revenue of railways has come down. So has the number of passengers. Regarding freight traffic it has fared much worse. In the name of railway flexi fare, passengers are being fleeced as the fares have been increased 1.5 times in the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.

Catering is of very poor quality in all the trains. There is no lighting arrangement,

* Please see Supplement. no drinking water and no passenger sheds in all the halts from Patna to Bihar

Sharif-Rajgir via Daniyawan. This should be looked into. Stoppage for -

Patna Jan Shatabdi must be provided at Bakhtiyarpur. Rahuy should be made a station. About 28 ongoing railway projects in Bihar should be completed at the earliest. The frequency of all the weekly trains in Bihar should be increased.

Katihar-Patna Intercity express be extended upto Jogbani.

* DR. PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE:

* SHRIMATI RANJANBEN BHATT:

SHRI M.K. RAGHAVAN: I suggest that there should be an increase in the frequency of the following pairs of trains: Yeshwantpur train, Rajdhani Express,

Kachiguda Express, Poorna Express, Madhgaon Express and Pondicherry Express.

I would request that train No.56666 be converted into a DEMU and extended to

Guruvayur. There has been a concerted demand over the years for a Sabari railway line to Sabarimala. Similarly the demand for a Guruvayur-Thiruvannamalai line has been pending for over 30 years. Coaches and washrooms stink. Railways should enhance their food safety wing to ensure supply of quality food to its passengers. Availability of more vendors should be ensured for supply of food.

West Coast Express, Intercity Express, Intercity Superfast Express, Yesvantpur

Express and Netravati Express should stop at Feroke and Koyilandy - two

* Please see Supplement. important stations in my constituency. Human safety is a major concern especially for women passengers. Deployment of female police officials be ensured. Lack of proper and timely track maintenance is causing a large number of railway accidents across the country. There are around 238 vulnerable spots in Kerala and hence the trains are running at slower speed.

SHRIMATI DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH: I welcome the steps taken by the hon. Minister of Railways to improve the financial condition of the

Railways, digitalization and security. Rs.3500 crores would be spent on PPP model to make Surat Railway station world class. Work has begun on

Ahemadabad to Mumbai Bullet train. Surat-Mahua (12945-46)- should run daily at 8 p.m. from Surat. 8 Sampark Kranti trains and 12 Duranto express trains should stop at Surat. Sehyaji express should have a stoppage at Kim railway station. Surat stations should have a DRM office and should become a division.

The Railway Minister has announced running a Tejas train. There is no direct train from Surat to Ahemadabad between 5:30 and 10:30 a.m. This should be looked into. Chair Car Coach should be provided in trains running between Surat to

Ahemadabad. Pantry Car should be reintroduced in the Rajdhani express and

August Kranti train running from Mumbai to New Delhi and Nizamuddin.

*SHRIMATI PRIYANKA SINGH RAWAT:

* Please see Supplement. * SHRIMATI NEELAM SONKER:

KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH: is the parliamentary constituency of our hon. Prime Minister and it also happens to be the cultural capital of the country. I demand for a fast train from Varanasi to Mumbai. A bullet train project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad is being talked about and the second such bullet train project should be executed from Mumbai to Varanasi as

Mumbai is our financial capital and Varanasi is our cultural capital. There is a train from Pratapgarh to Mumbai once in a week. Saket express from Faizabad to

Pratabgarh via Allahabad also plies once in a week. I demand that these trains should be plied all seven days because many poor people from Purvanchal region live in Mumbai. The DPR finalized for our region should be cleared by the cabinet and also by the Niti Ayog so that work could be commenced soon. There is no train from Pratapgarh to Ahmedabad and Surat. Therefore, a train should be introduced to these destinations.

*SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL:

SHRI RAJESH PANDEY: Railways is the life line of a country. Our railways is the largest rail network in the world. I would like to congratulate the hon. Union Railway Minister as well as hon. Minister of State that they have created a Rashtriya Samrakshan Kosh with a corpus of rupees one lakh crore for

* Please see Supplement. strengthening safety in the rail network which will ensure safety aspect of the railways. Kushinagar is an important district. After independence, there has been a popular demand that keeping in view the tourism potential, connectivity should be strengthened. I would like to thank hon. Minister of State for Railways for sanctioning an amount of Rs. 1345 crore in the rail budget for connecting

Kushinagar with Gorakhpur upto Patrauna. Besides, there has also been a demand that Chitauni is also an important station which should be connected with Tamkuhi railway track. The government has provided for Rs. 245 crore for this work in the rail budget. A railway track from Dhugli to Khugli via Maharajganj has also been sanctioned for which we are ever thankful. A train should be introduced between

Kushinagar and Patrauni so as to facilitate the local people. In many towns, people have settled in large numbers in an around railway crossings but when the roads get dilapidated there and some departments intend to get them repaired but it is not possible for the want to permission of the railways. I demand that a policy change should be effected so as to facilitate provision of NOCs in such cases. The RPF does not have the powers in commensuration with their duties and responsibilities.

Therefore, they should be given adequate powers in proportion of their responsibilities. Some DEMU trains have been given for our regions but they are old ones and I demand that new rakes of such trains should be given. *DR. BHARTIBEN D. SHYAL:

SHRI NEIPHIU RIO: I whole-heartedly welcome the historic budget. The allocation for the North-Eastern region has been encouraging. It has been increased to around Rs. 69029.89 crore. The work on the Dimapur-Kohima line, the 88 km stretch, has just began but it has not been connected to the capital city

Kohima. It is short by another 18 km. This should be immediately surveyed and taken up on urgent basis. Guwahati-Dimapur is the second highest revenue earning station in the North-Eastern region. It needs huge expansion and I hope the railway ministry will take these into consideration. Regarding BG line connecting Tuli and Tuli Town where huge operation of coal is going on, I believe that it has been shelved saying that it is not economically viable. Why should the government look into the viability aspect? I think this should be taken up on an urgent manner. As regards Amguri and Nagimimora and Furkating Baggey

Valley, the work should be taken up on priority. The proposed Trans Asian Rail

Network should not be abandoned. It is actually planned from Dimapur-Kohima,

Senapati-Imphal and Moreh to South East Asia. The present work from Jiriram to

Tupul and then to Imphal is going on in a very aggressive manner but the original plan should not be abandoned. Work should go on where the habitation is there so that benefits can reach the people. I hope with the increase of the budget

* Please see Supplement. allocation, the railway network will be expanded to cover the difficult areas including my State, Nagaland.

*SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL:

DR. BANSHILAL MAHATO: The Railway Budget has been for the first time merged with the General Budget in the history of 93 years which is a good concept. The then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had given to our area the

Bilaspur railway zone without any public agitation. An intercity express was being plied from Korba to the capital but it has been discontinued just after three months.

This should be resumed. Shrinath Express plies from Korba to Nagpur but on return it terminates at Bilaspur which should be extended to Korba. There is a place called Urga on the Bilaspur-Hati route which connects Jharkhand and

Chhattisgarh and there is a urgent need for construction of an overbridge there.

Similarly, an overbridge needs to be constructed in between Saragundiya station.

FOBs needs to be constructed on all the stations. In my parliamentary constituency, a survey has been completed from Nagpur halt to Chirmiri and it should be commenced. Jabalpur-Ambikapur express should be plied all seven days.

*SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY:

* Please see Supplement. SHRI N.K.PREMACHANDRAN: is a unique integrator of modern India. The NDA Government has decided to abandon the Railway

Budget and to merge the Railway Budget with the General Budget. According to me, the merger of Railway Budget with General Budget is in the violation of the

Constituent Assembly Resolution of 1949. I would also like to know from the hon.

Railway Minister the fate of the Railway Convention Committee. This is a point of order also. So, I would like to seek a ruling from the Chair in this respect.

There is a decline of Rs. 12,000 crore of the gross traffic revenue this year. How is the Government able to achieve Rs. 16,843 crore in excess when compared to the last year? So, it is not a realistic assessment as far as the passenger and freight traffic are concerned. Coming to the operating ratio, I would like to say that the current operating ratio is 94.9 per cent in 2016-17. It shows that the Railway is losing both passenger and freight volumes as has been witnessed in traffic receipt from April-December, 2016. In the next year also, the operating ratio is being fixed at 94.6 per cent. So, the fiscal performance of Indian Railway both in freight traffic as well as passenger traffic has to be improved. A very good performance is being made on the expenditure side. The Railways have accelerated spending by over 28 per cent from April-December, 2016 on infrastructure projects. The total capital and development expenditure has been increased to Rs. 1,31,000 crore for passenger safety. A Rashtriya Samrakshan Kosh will be created with a corpus fund of Rs. 1,00,000 crore over a period of five years. I would like to seek certain clarifications from the Minister. When the Railway Budget was presented in 2015-

16, the Railway Minister had announced a five year planned development of Indian

Railways which required Rs. 8.5 lakh crore. This is the end of the third financial year. So, I would like to know from the hon. Minister as to how much he has mobilised out of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore. I would also like to ask as to how he would be able to achieve the goal of commissioning 3,500 kms. of new lines with this meagre allocation of Rs. 11,532 crore which is less than that of 2016-17. The allocation has to be increased for the construction of new lines. This is my suggestion. Similarly, in the gauge conversion as well as doubling of lines, the plan outlay for 2017-18 is less than that of the Budget Estimate of 2016-17. But at the same time, I do appreciate the hon. Minister in having excess allocation in case of

ROBs, RUBs signaling telecommunication and related infrastructural areas. There is a need to improve the efficiency of the Indian Railways by reducing the operating ratio. The resources of profit making public sector units may be utilized for enhancing the capacity of the Indian Railways and the commercial utilization of the surplus land of the Indian Railways ha to be made. I would give my thanks to the hon. Minister for completing the Sengottai-Punalur Region, which was pending over the last 16 years. Train service from to Sengottai, to Madurai and to Chennai should be started. It is a very good tourism and pilgrim centre. So, the tourism train service should be started in this area also. I would also like to appeal to the hon. Minister to upgrade the Kollam railway station as an international model standard railway station. More than 40 lakh Kerala people are employed in the Bhilai Steel Plants and other establishments in Chhattisgarh. I am seeking a new express train service from Chhattisgarh to Trivandrum or Cochin so that these people are benefited.

*SHRI DHARMENDRA KUMAR:

SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA: Merger of Rail Budget and

General Budget is a historical step and we welcome it. Service Charge on e-tickets has been discontinued and a special safety funds has been created with a corpus of

Rs. One lakh crore. There are instances of water logging under some under bridges. Measures should be taken to ensure that there is no water logging under these bridges. In my constituency, survey was conducted in British times for a line

Fatehpur, Baberu, Atra, Naraini, Kalinjar to Satna but there has been no work on the ground till now. I demand that a survey be conducted and the rail line constructed. Sarayu Express coming from Ayodhya stays at Allahabad. It should be extended upto Chitrakoot. A DMU train should be introduced between Maihar and Chitrakoot Dham. In the last year's Budget, funds were allocated for doubling

* Please see Supplement. and electrification of Jhansi-Manikpur and Khairat-Kanpur sections. These works should be completed at the earliest.

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE: My Parliamentary Constituency falls in Raigarh and districts in Maharashtra. This is an area adjacent to

Mumbai. Mumbai Sub-urban train service caters to this area. About one lakh passengers travel from Panvel to Mumbai every day but there are many stations which lack amenities. I request for providing these amenities especially at Panvel and Kharghar stations. A third track was announced between Lonawala and Pune in the last year's Budget but the work is yet to start. There is a lot of encroachment on Railway land. The work of third track will take place only when the encroachment is removed. There is a need to install lifts at many railway stations.

A new railway line between Pune and Nasik was announced but the Railways has not initiated even the process of acquisition of land. If Pimpri and Hinjwadi are linked with Konkan rail line, the people of Western Maharashtra will be able to avail the services of Konkan Railway. A mini train used to operate between

Lonawala and Matheran which has been discontinued for several years. I request the Government to restore this train service.

*SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL:

* Please see Supplement. SHRI P.C. MOHAN: Bangaluru is the fastest growing city in the whole

Asia with a population of one crore. It has vehicular population of about 65 lakh and traffic congestion is terrible there. Bengaluru traffic is so much that we require suburban trains which can run on the existing railway tacks leading out of the city and nearby towns which are at a distance of 70 to 140 kilometres where metro cannot reach. The State Government is requesting the Central Government for 50-

50 per cent partnership. I request the Central Government to take up this project at

50 per cent because the same model has been given for Mumbai, Chennai and other cities. Mysore railway station is very small. Railways have to locate another railway station and develop so that more trains from Bengaluru can go. Coach yard should be set up at Byappanahalli station. From my MPLAD fund, I have already built one railway station in Hoodi. I will be building another railway station by spending one core rupees keeping the suburban proposal in mind.

*SHRI BHANU PRATAP SINGH VERMA:

SHRI PREM DAS RAI: I rise to support the Demands for Grants of

Railways. This is the first time, the Demands for Grants are being debated in this

Session. In 2009, for the railway line between Sivok and Rangpo, the foundation stone was laid by the then Railway Minister. It is now 2017 and little progress has been made. The hon. Railway Minister, Shri Prabhu ji had visited Sikkim and he

* Please see Supplement. had given us an assurance that the work would now begin in all earnest. I would like to request the Government that this particular project be taken up with all alacrity. At Sivok, on the National Highway 10, there is a manned crossing. I request the Government to construct a flyover there. In North-Eastern Frontier

Railway, the quality of coaches is very deplorable. New coaches should be provided in the trains in NEFR. Recently, I had the occasion of travelling on the

Darjeeling Mail and I found that the coaches were very dirty and the food given in the train was not up to the mark.

*SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SINGH:

SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH: In recent years the Railways has improved a lot in providing civic amenities and in overall operations. A railway line is proposed from Beheta to Aurangabad for many years and survey has also been conducted for the same. I wish that the work on this line be completed at the earliest. A rail line from Gaya to Sher Ghati via Imamganj, Dumaria and

Daltonganj is proposed which will connect two states. If this line is constructed it will be a great facility to the people and facilitate development of the area. At the same time it will help tackle extremism in this area. Gaya station is of international importance. This station should be upgraded as a model station.

Stoppage of Sealdah and Howrah Duronto Express should be

* Please see Supplement. provided at Gaya. Ticket cancellation charge is very high. It should be reduced.

There is a need to construct ROBs at two locations - One Kilometer west of Guraru station and one kilometer west of Rafiganj station in Mughalsarai Division on

Delhi-Kolkata line.

*SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

SHRI DHARAM VIRA GANDHI: Rail Budget has been merged with

General Budget. Only time will tell as to what the long term results of this decision will be but I do not think it proper. Railway is the lifeline of the country.

Hence, we should do nothing to compromise its importance. Rajpura-Bhatinda rail line was sanctioned earlier but decision is yet to be taken whether the project will be constructed by RVNL or NRCO. This project consists of two components viz. doubling and electrification. Both the works should be given to one agency so that they do not need to coordinate with each other and the work is completed at a faster pace. Construction of Chandigarh-Rajpura rail link will connect the tri-city of Chandigarh with , Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. I am grateful to the

Ministry of Railways for giving two big projects in Malwa region of Punjab.

SHRI LAKHAN LAL SAHU: I welcome the decision of merger of Rail

Budget with General Budget. The Government is paying special attention on cleanliness on trains. Bilaspur railway zone is the highest revenue earning zone in

* Please see Supplement. the country. Railway Tribunal should be established at Bilaspur. Bilaspur City is expanding so there is a need to develop Uslapur station also known as Bilaspur

City. Thousands of passengers travel from Jairam Nagar, Chakrabhata, Bilgahna and Pinder Road stations. There is a need to develop these stations. New trains from Bilaspur to Puri and Bilaspur to Indore should be introduced. Survey on

Dhamtari-Kanker rail line has been completed. This project should be sanctioned at the earliest.

SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA: A rail line between Hisar and

Chandigarh is absolutely necessary to connect these places. This should be constructed at the earliest. A train like 'Hamsafar' should be started at the rail route from Sriganga Nagar, Sirsa, Hisar to Delhi. This entire route has been electrified.

However, one of the obstacles remain in form of Bhiwani bypass. The Ministry had sanctioned an amount of Rs.5.25 crore for the completion. I would like to the

Government to complete the project and start the rail line at the earliest. A DEMU train should be started between Hisar and Chandigarh. A washing yard at Hisar was sanctioned in the railway budget but it is yet to be completed. The

Government should ensure the completion of this washing yard and connect Hisar with the long distance trains. The survey work of Allahabad to Sirsa rail line should be completed. Gorakhdham train should be extended upto Sirsa and

Bathinda. The closure of crossings between Raipur and Juglan is causing a lot of inconvenience to the people. There is a need to make an alternative arrangement to facilitate the movement. There is always a long traffic jam on the railway crossings falling on the roads leading to Rajasthan. There is a need to construct

ROBs and RUBs on them. Various long distance trains should be extended upto

Hisar.

SHRI RAM TAHAL CHAUDHARY: Along with the development of railways efforts have been made for upgrading the facilities for the rail passengers.

Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand and its zonal headquarter lies in Hazipur, Bihar.

One has to face a lot of inconvenience as it takes years for the files to get cleared.

Therefore, there is a need to make Ranchi as the zonal headquarter by integrating four DRM offices. A coordinator should also be appointed in it. A office of

IRCTC should be set up at Ranchi. The management of Ranchi-New Delhi

Rajdhani train should be handed over to Ranchi. should be run daily. The train from Ranchi to via Hatiya should be made to ply thrice a week.

*SHRI JUGAL KISHORE:

SHRI C.N. JAYADEVAN: Government need to provide more capital for the Rashtriya Rail Suraksha Kosh. As far as Kerala is concerned, the allotment for the railway projects in Kerala is not satisfactory. Only a meagre fund has been

* Please see Supplement. sanctioned for many of the on-going projects like railway over-bridges and railway under-bridges and, at this scale, it will take years to complete these projects. An underpass at Thiruvenidam - the north side of Guruvayur Railway station should be constructed. The condition of the coaches in trains running in Kerala is very bad. The Kerala trains should be provided with coaches of better condition. The current availability of reserved seats on the Mumbai-Kerala sector is not sufficient.

So, there is a need to increase the frequency of the trains and the number of seats in the existing trains.

*SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: For the first time in the history of the country that the merger of Union Budget with Rail Budget has taken place. The rail line from Chandil, Badam, Patomada via Vardhman and Jharegram should be extended. The rail line from Jamshedpur to Badampahar via Keojhar should be directly connected to . An ROB should be constructed at Jugshala.

A pantry car should be attached to Tata Amritsar train.

SHRI JOSE K. MANI: The facility of passenger reservation system should be restored back for both Vaikom and Koothattukulam. station is very important and prominent in terms of rail traffic, revenue and providing

* Please see Supplement. accessibility to passengers. Kottayam railway station should be taken up for modernization because the congestion there is very high.

*DR. TAPAS MANDAL:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIA: The presentation of Rail Budget in merged form with the Union Budget is not only a bold but also a welcome step.

The railways have continuously stride forward on the path of progress under the leadership of hon. Prime Minister. I would like to request the hon. Minister of

Railways that all the projects should be completed on time and there should not be any shortage of funds so that the work may continue unhindered and it could be finished on time. Mahua-Surat express train should be run on the daily basis upto

Mumbai. Being the hub of diamond trade Surat is a commercial city and a large number of traders use this route. However, only the Mahua-Surat express is the only train which runs once in a week. This train should be run on the daily basis upto Mumbai.

*SHRIMATI VEENA DEVI:

*DR. A.SAMPATH:

*SHRI M. UDHAYAKUMAR:

*SHRI RAJKUMAR SAINI:

*DR. PRABHAS KUMAR SINGH:

* Please see Supplement. SHRIMATI APARUPA PODDAR: For the first time after Independence,

India has dispensed with a separate Rail Budget. Railway is the lifeline of the common citizen. However, the cleanliness of the train is very bad; toilets are very dirty. Arambag railway station and Tarakeswar railway station need to be upgraded. I urge the Railway Minister to expedite the projects and allot sufficient funds. I would also request the hon. Minister to start the work of ROB at

Kamarkundu railway station and expedite the project. There is also demand for a sub-way at Chandanpur railway station which is the need of the hour for the farmers and people residing there.

SHRI KANTI LAL BHURIA: The Government has a hidden agenda of increasing the rail fare. Whatever hike needs to be done should be reflected in the

Budget and any sort of backdoor kind of increase is nothing short of the contempt of the House. The Indian Railways will prove a great headache to the Government due to the huge losses it is likely to suffer owing to the financial mismanagement.

I would like to draw the attention of the hon. Minister towards the important rail line Ratlam, Jhabua, Alirajpur which is a tribal dominated area. Indore-Dahod,

Dhar-Chota Udaipur, Banswara-Dungarpur rail line should be constructed at the earliest.

*SHRI ARJUN LAL MEENA:

* Please see Supplement. *SHRI ALOK SANJAR:

SHRI MD. BADARUDDOZA KHAN: We had expected some new trains to be declared in this Budget but it has not been done. I request for a Rajdhani

Express train from New Delhi to Agartala up and down for better connectivity with the North-East. There is a need to improve passenger facilities like provisions of safe drinking water at Bhagawangola and Murshidabad railway stations in the

Sealdah section under the Eastern Railway. There is a need to construct a new railway line from Berhampur to Karimpur via Islampur, Domkal and Jalangi under the Sealdah section. There is a need to functionalize the railway bridge over river

Bhagirathi in the Sealdah section. I would request the Railway Minister to withdraw the felxi fair system applied in some premier trains. I would also request the Minister to convert train Nos. 53172 and 53181 Lalgola Passenger into express trains and attach at least two air-conditioned sleeper coaches with these two trains.

There is a need to construct one underpass near Azimganj City Railway Station. I request you to expedite the work of double line from Katwa to Farakka under

Howrah section.

* Please see Supplement.

** ** ** **

ANOOP MISHRA Secretary General

**Supplement covering rest of the proceedings is being issued separately. © 2017 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 versions of Synopsis of Debates are also available at http://loksabha.nic.in.