Railways) [RAJYA S\BHA] Bills, 1975 64 "That the Bill to Provide for the Au- 2

$Railways) [RAJYA S\BHA] Bills, 1975 64$ 63 Appropriation (Railways) [RAJYA S\BHA] Bills, 1975 64 "That the Bill to provide for the au- 2. The Speaker has certified that this thorisation ot appropriation of moneys out BUI is a Money Bill." of the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the amounts spent on certain services for II the purposes of Railways during the '•In accordance with the provisions of financial year ended on the 31st day ot Rule 96 of the Rules of Procedure and March, 1973, in excess of the amounts Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. I am granted for those services and for that year, directed to enclose herewith the Gujarat as passed by the Lok Sabha. be taken into Appropriation (Vote on Ac-countl Bill. consideration." 1975. as passed by Lok Sabha at its The questions were proposed. sitting held on the 21st March, 1975. MR. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN : Now you 2. The Speaker has certified that this can speak on all the three. Bill is a Money Bill." Sir. I lay a copy of each of the Bills on SHRI MOHD. SHAFI QURESHI: Sir, I the Table. would like to reply to the points that would be raised. I. THE APPROPRIATION SHRI L. MXHAPATRO (Orissa): Mr. Deputy (RAIL- WAYS) BILL, 1975. Chairman. Sir. the discussions that preceded the introduction of the Appropriation Bill II. THE APPROPRIATION indisputably expressed almost unanimity on (RAIL- WAYS) NO. 2 BILL, 1975. some important aspects of railway finance and III. THE APPROPRIATION administration. It has been made out to the hilt (RAIL- WAYS) NO. 3 BILL, 1975. that the situation is paradoxical. Investments increase. I returns decrease. Membership of MR. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN : There are and expenditure on the Railway Board swells three Appropriation (Railways) Bills, 1975. and management deteriorates. Coal production 1 t h i n k we will take up all of them boosts, but transportation for the railways together. themselves does not catch up. The railways are continuing to pile up losses and the sluggish THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE economic activity has not been conducive to MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI railway profitability. What is ing, however, is MOHD. SHAFI QURESHI): Sir. I beg to that the railway management's response to such move . a state of affairs has been extraordinarily reckless and it has dealt with its problems in "That the Bill to authorise payment the manner of a wooden-headed bureaucrat, and appropriation of certain sums from stuck up in established grooves, instead ot as and out of the Consolidated Fund of the industrial management ot the largest India for the services of the financial undertaking in the country on which huge year 1975-76 for the purposes of Rail- investments drawn from the public savings are ways, as passed by the Lok Sabha be sunk. Despite investments having risen from taken into consideration." Rs. 855 crores in 1950-51 to Rs. 4791 crores in "That the Bill to authorise payment 1972-73. despite the fact that diesel engines and appropriation of certain furthei sums with double the capacity of steam engines were from and out of the Consolidated Fund added, hundreds of electric engines were added, of India for the services of the financial sophisticated equipment purchased, the block year 1974-75 for the purposes of working system modernised, longer Railways, as passed by the Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration." 65 Appropriation {Railways) [22 MAR. 1975] Rills. 1975 66 loop lines constructed, crossing facilities im- the worst of profits, the worst of income, in proved, longer, heavier ;tnd faster trains put spite of this heavy investment, an investment on the rails, the average speed of goods trains which in the course of the year would have has not increased even by it kilometre per been not less than Rs. 400 crores and the total hour and the distance travelled by a wagon investment so far is Rs. 5000 crores—is has increased only by 5 kms per day, which is something which is too sad. Judging from the only a snail's speed. The railways seem to be standard of performance shown by the carrying relatively and absolutely less and Railways, the Railway Board should be less of traffic, both passenger and goods. squarely made responsible for the serious crisis which the railway finances and the Though the Railway Minister is optimistic Railway administration face today. The about a surplus Budget, experience of earlier frequent change of Ministers is taken years makes us to take it with a pinch of salt. advantage of by the Board. His stout defence of the Railway Board has startled us. Because ol the mismanagement of While some friends would choose to say the Railway Board, in spi'c of their profession that the Railway Board has more powers than to the effect that the Government is out to it can effectively exercise, I would say that it clear regional imbalances. you see the has turned out to be the fountain-head of State of inefficiency, corruption and mismanagement. and you sec the other States. Orissa On the basis of bitter and sad experiences has a large tribal population and (here is not over the years, Members in both Houses have even a kilometre of new rail laid and whatever been crying hoarse for the Railway Board to rail line has been laid, it is not a;\ inp the go. And if the Railways are to get out of the facility of passenger traffic. One such fine is the financial quagmire, it is necessary for this DBK-Dandakaranya-Baila-dila-Kiriburu line. premier transport system of the country to be That line is there for a pretty long time, but drastically reorganised so that the investments only goods traffic is being transported. No made begin to give returns. And despite the person in that line has been given the high hopes of making up the deficit only by advantage of travelling by rail. Now, there are increasing the freight rate on foodgrains many people who work in the deep forests which will ultimately tell upon the consumer, and high mountains. They have to go round we are not sure that we would not be landed in about the mountains and they face many wild a deficit budget because of the ever- animals. Even for those persons who work on continuing fall in the passenger and goods the railways there is no facility. At traffic. i (aching one or two compartments to the train The cause of the malady lies in the fact of would have solved their problem. Even that is too much of idling time of the engines, the not being done. This is the attitude of the wagons and the officers high up. Often, they Railway Board which thinks in terms of try to throw the blame on the workers and increasing its number and not railway lines in accuse them ot contributing to this state of places where there are good mines. There are affairs as is usual with any exploiter. The people who have not had the advantage of locomen put up a determined fight and an travelling by train, though 27 years have agreement was signed—that was long back— passed after independence. I could cite many about their hours of work and many other more instances as I speak about the Railway thmgs. What has happened to it ? Now, Therefore, such a Railway Board people who arc eng; g-d as casual labour by defended by the Railway Minister, the contractors are a distressed lot. For these and for him to say that it is best transport people, a law was passed by Parliament, mechanism of the land—best according to (here was a ' lot of discussion. And pel-sons him because it has been able to yet him who have been working under such 7 RSS/75—3 67 Appropriation (Railways) [RAJYA SABHA] Bills, 1975 68 [Shri L. Mahapatro] in service they are now being sought to be distressing conditions and for more than five thrown out of service on flimsy charges years at a stretch, they have not been able to engineered on the basis of some event that get the benefit of that law. happened long back. Therefore, let not the humanitarian attitude that the Railway Somehow I find that the Railway Board has Minister has shown in this matter be given a of late chosen to have things done no longer go-by by the officers down below and let departmental^ but through the contractors them not make their instructions and whether it is catering or any other thing, directions inoperative. where you will find the greatest scope for corruption. This has not only prevented and In ihe matter of industrial relations with the clogged the possibility of employing some workers the management is seen very often people by taking up these services wasting heavily in litigations making the poor departmentally, but it has also opened up new worker unnecessarily run from court to court. vistas of corruption. And this is the Railway This attitude detract* from the establishment Board that the Railway Minister wants to of healthy industrial relations which alone can defend. put the decaying railway finances and administration on correct rails. Sir, you know about the historic railway strike and also about the historic repression The Board having members in foreign wherein a large number of people, workers, countries is not only ridiculous but a wastage. were taken out of service because of the Its constitution that way was in the best whims of the officers at different levels. And interest of the imperialist rulers.

Load more