RAJYA SABHA ______∗SUPPLEMENT TO SYNOPSIS OF DEBATE ______(Proceedings other than Questions and Answers) ______Tuesday, July 22, 2014/Ashadha 31, 1936 (Saka) ______(A) The Budget (Railways) 2014-15 General Discussion (B) GOVERNMENT BILLS I. The Appropriation (Railways) No. 2 Bill, 2014-Contd. II. The Appropriation (Railways) No. 3 Bill, 2014-Contd. SHRI JOY ABRAHAM: We, the people of Kerala, are thoroughly disappointed with this Budget. There is no new train, except a small train. No new surveys, except one small survey. No bullet trains, no suburban trains, no coach factory, no wagon factory. There is a mention of periodic revision of fares in the Budget. It says that the revision is linked to the revision in the fuel prices. If diesel is de-controlled, the oil giants and oil monopolies, will call the shots. Hon. Minister should withdraw the proposal of periodic revision linked to fuel prices. I welcome the proposal regarding security. 17,000 RPF personnel will be deployed in future and 4,000 woman constables will be deployed. It is all right because the incidents of robbery and looting are on the increase, especially in long distance trains. Now, I would like to make a point on behalf of all the MPs. A few months back, Railways had exerted all the MPs to join it in the developmental programmes with the MPLADS funds. I myself have ______∗This Synopsis is not an authoritative record of the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha. 146 given Rs.17.5 lakhs for a FOB at the Piravom railway station. The Railways now insist that I should give an undertaking that I accept the liability to bear any increase in cost over the above estimated cost. As the Railways have estimated and the estimate is approved, they should take the responsibility for any escalation above the estimated cost. I welcome the proposal made for revamping the railway reservation system. I have perused the regulations and rules, and found that the rules are not all transparent. There is utter confusion. Not only the railway reservation system should be revamped, but the existing rules should also be revamped so that it may not be misused. SHRI V. HANUMANTHA RAO: I want to say that they have given new names to the old items in the budget presented by them. Fast train has been converted into bullet train. Rs. 60,000 crores will be spent on them. What is the need for that? Attention should be paid to the stations, to the rail lines, old tracks should be repaired. If separate lines for the goods trains will be laid, the income of the Government will also increase. There would not have been any need to increase the freight by 6.5 percent. There is a single line on Nadikudi-Bibinagar route in our region. Several trains run on this line. It is said that this line would be doubled. It is also said that Sikandarabad railway station would be upgraded upto the international standard. But it has not been done to date. Kachiguda railway station has not been modernised. Similarly, Nampalli railway station has not been modernised. People get several facilities in Hyderabad through MMTS. Hyderabad has become crowded. It should be expanded. It was that a coach factory would be set up in Kajipet. But nothing has been done so far. PPP should not be implemented. If the railway stations will be brought under PPP, the poor people will not be seen at railway station. I request that Hyderabad and Sikandarabad stations should be modernised. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have become separate states. Telangana is a backward state, therefore, both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should get justice. SHRI AVINASH RAI KHANNA: No such promise has been made in the budget, which can not be fulfilled by the Government. Railways is called the lifeline of the country. Railway is supposed to serve the people, give them facilities and employment. It

147 should also be the priority of the Railways to ensure that the rail journey is completed without any untoward incident.

I request that provision of e-ticketing should also be there for Members of Parliament. Promises to land owners, whose land was acquired by Railway for projects in Jammu and Kashmir, have not been fulfilled. They have been promised job and adequate compensation. Therefore, they may be provided job and adequate compensation as per promised. I request that rail connectivity between Anandpur Sahib to Amritsar should be considered. I urge to the Government that DMU, which goes to Jalandhar from Udhampur for maintenance, should be run as a train as a result thereof Government will get revenue and it will not be a waste of resources. There should be a reservation facility at Udhampur station. If bullet train will be introduced in India then country's name will be famous in the world.

SHRI RANBIR SINGH PARJAPATI: Indian Railway is a big and unique organisation. I request that work on the Rohatak- Meham-Hansi rail line may be started as early as possible. I urge that the work on projects announced in the last Rail budget should be started as early as possible. I congratulate the hon'ble Prime Minister for conducting survey on Hisar-Narwana Railway line. I also request that the said rail line should be materialised early by completing the said survey. I shall request that survey for Jind-Kurukshetra rail line be may included. Kurukshetra- Haridwar rail line survey should also be considered. Rail track between Sirsa to Elanabad should be laid as it will help in movement of Army and transportation of Army material. There is a long pending demand of citizens of Hisar for constructing an underpass at Hisar-Sadalpur rail line as people are facing problem due to this. A crossing should be build for the farmers of Deva village. Government should reconsider to discontinuation the stoppage of Shatabdi at Jind. We have a long pending demand of Hisar- Amritsar intercity via Vyas. SHRI PANKAJ BORA: We had very high hopes with the first Railway Budget of the NDA Government that we would get a good Budget. But it disappointed us. The passenger fares and freight rates have been raised. It is putting a lot of pressure on the commuters.

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I am sorry to state that instead of being a welfare-oriented budget, it is a business-oriented budget. This has nothing to do with the common people. 100 per cent FDI shall have its grave consequences. We are also for PPP but there should be a balance and that balance is missing from this Budget. What about people belonging to small cities like ours, and, people belonging to the far flung areas of the North East where there are no long distance trains for them? I do not wish to speak much about bullet trains. It sounds well but everybody has stated that with the cost escalation and everything, the bullet trains is actually a pipe dream. Out of 58 new trains, only six trains have been given to the north-east. There is no introduction of long-distance trains. We have been asking for trains like Duronto and other speedy trains but we have not got one till date. Issues like the journey time and other facilities for the passengers have not been looked into. The suburban services are totally neglected in Assam and the north-east area. Not a single ROB has been sanctioned for Assam or north east. I hope it will be included in the Railway Budget. There is no reference to doubling and electrification. We are asking for a second rail bridge over the Brahmaputra near Saraighat Bridge in Guwahati which has also been neglected. I demand that there should be a Rail Neer factory in Assam. My request to hon. Railway Minister is, please give a thought to increase the track kilometre so that the connectivity of the North-East comes around. Otherwise, the feeling goes to us that we are neglected. North-East is a very sensitive area, being covered by international borders on all sides therefore we need better connectivity. SHRIMATI BIMLA KASHYAP SOOD: I support this Railway budget. Indian railway is the lifeline of the country. Hike in fares does not hurt if we get proper cleanliness, security arrangement, clean toilets clean premises and clean potable drinking at Railway stations. Rail fares have not been increased due to vote-politics. How the shortage of coaches would be met? We have many unmanned railway crossings in the country where lots of accidents take place due to shortage of the staff. I want to congratulate the Government who thought to run the bullet train. The food in the train

149 should be of good quality and special care should be taken for cleanliness of the pantry car and passengers get clean drinking water. Nobody would mind to pay little more for all this. Charo dham would be connected through rail and income of railway wouldl increase by this and it will promote tourism. Announcement of university of railway by minister is a welcome step. I would request the railway minister to make arrangement for laying broad guage line for Shimla. SHRI PYARIMOHAN MOHAPATRA: I must congratulate the hon. Railway Minister, for bringing forward a comprehensive Railway Budget and for not being greedy, about his one State. I would urge upon the hon. Minister to find out how projects worth Rs.57,000 crore have been added in the last three years. These newer projects must be reviewed. I would request that if Government complete the ongoing projects, needs of most of the areas which are commercially viable, which are backward and not covered, and where track per kilometre ratio is much lower than the national average, like in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, will be met, particularly KBK area, which is very backward, which is right on the borders of Chhattisgarh. Interim Budget was meant only for an outgoing Government which was only for a period of four months.

Each Railway Minister and Government wanted to be popular by not increasing the fare. Had they increased even by one per cent every year, it would not have hurt the common man. Today, the entire accumulated increase has been done at a time by 14.5 per cent. Discrimination is being done against Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Nobody bothers about it. Why this discrimination? We are also giving plenty of revenue to the South Eastern Railway. Do not go looking for FDI and PPP. Government can get all the money by converting Railways into corporations.

SHRIMATI RAJANI PATIL: The Government has done injustice with the poor by enhancing rail fare as it will lead to hike in prices of all the goods. I welcome the deployment of 4000 women police personnel but there is a need of installing CCTV. To take care of cleanliness of toilets in the trains is very necessary as their condition is very bad. There is a need to increase the platforms keeping in view of the rush of the stations. The cost of the ticket of 150 bullet train should also be considered. Do not try to eliminate the stations to speed up the high speed train otherwise it will not be benefited. If the hike in the fare of local trains of Mumbai is permanently reversed then we welcome it and if it is reversed in view of election for a short period then we urge them not to do so.

The condition of railway stations in Mumbai is very pathetic. Several people in Mumbai died as they perform their journey on the foot-rests of the trains. I hail from the Beed District of Maharashtra which has no rail track. Extending the rail network on all the places is more important than introducing the Bullet-train. The 95 percent land regarding Ahmed Nagar-Beed rail-track has been acquired but only 20 crore rupees has been sanctioned for this project in the present budget. More amount need to be sanctioned for this Project. There is a train from Pune to Nagar but if the Government connect Nagar with Aurangabad it will be important for us. SHRI RANGASAYEE RAMAKRISHNA: I am glad, for the first time, the hon. Minister has mentioned that we will try to provide escalators through PPP mode. So many difficulties are faced by the passengers on the Railway stations. The suggestion here is to corporatize all passenger amenities by creating an authority on the lines of the AAI. The authority should be entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the entire upkeep of various stations. The stations should be provided with the underground parking space, escalators, lifts, luggage cars and battery-operated buggies, especially for the aged and the disabled. Finally, provide provision of hygiene kitchens, providing clean and hot meals in sealed containers. I am sure, all these dreams will come into reality and a big start has been made in the present Budget. SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE: If the Government propose to privatise some of the Department of Railways the provision of reservation for SC/ST and OBCs should also be there. There should be a separate interview for every state. The more people of the state wherein the recruitment is being done should be selected. The pending projects of Railway are needed to be completed and for that funding through other sources like corporate sector could be made. The number of local trains in Mumbai is needed to be increased. The hike

151 in rail fare should be reduced from 14.2 percent to 10 percent and with regard to the freight it should be reduced from 5.5 percent to 4 percent. Pandharpur to Mumbai train should be run on all seven days. Mumbai Central station should be named after Dr. Baba Shaheb Ambedkar. Reduce the fare. I fully support this Rail Budget.

SHRI SHADI LAL BATRA: The Minister has not presented this Budget with a resolution and confidence. First of all do away the discrimination. I would call the management good on the day, when the Government would increase the passenger fare and freight according to the expenditure and would be self dependent. Some source has to be thought for the income to run the railway with full security and in good condition. The Government have to think to increase the credibility of railway among the people. Survey is going on in Haryana from Yamunanagar to Chandigarh and from Alwar to Nabab. The Government should go ahead on it.

SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR: I believe that with the thrust on safety, consolidation, passenger amenities and fiscal discipline, this Railway Budget is well-rounded, and more importantly, a much needed and feasible plan. The Railways today is an unviable operation. Deeper restructuring and reorganizing of the Railways is necessary, both to create focus and also to facilitate outside investments. I would urge him to enact an amendment that prohibits announcement of any new project unless its financial viability and financing is secured. Unless you reform the bulk freight business, it will not be possible to raise investment. Railways and its customers need more technologies to leapfrog to the present and establish a platform for the future. Create a position of Chief Technology Officer to develop a multi-year technology upgradation and investment plan. Frame transparent guidelines for PPPs. Leave this whole concept of advertising and covering the windows.

PROF. SAIF-UD-DIN SOZ: I have a lot of interest in rail development of the country. This Government has failed to give a very good Budget. Just before the Parliament session, government came forward with an increase in passenger fare and freight rate. People had expected Achchhe Din, but this left a bad taste in their 152 mind. I caution that cleanliness and safety will not come through pumping money into the Railways but only the determination of the Government can create the atmosphere of cleanliness and safety. There is staff available but they don't work. If the Government wants to give us safety and cleanliness without spending a penny, it can do so. Both the PPP and the FDI will be a failure. It will never help in building infrastructure for Railways. The FDI has been opposed by all the unions. Nobody should be allowed to travel on the rooftops of a train. The government must work on Udhampur-Katra rail route, Katra to Banihal, Jammu to Doda and Jammu to Poonch rail route and make a contribution.

DR. PRADEEP KUMAR BALMUCHU: People had many expectations with this Railway Budget. But this Budget is not according to their expectations. This Government has sold dreams of Achchhe Din to the people. This Government is heading towards privatise railway. Those corporate houses, who have given support in election, the Government is going forward to help him them. There is nothing for the poor in this Budget. The Government has talked about Bullet train. Who will travel by this Bullet train? Common men are not able to travel even by Rajdhani express today! Jharkhand is a rich State with its mines and minerals but the people of Jharkhand are poor enough. Railway is getting high revenues from Jharkhand, but only one train has been given to Jharkhand in this Budget. There are seven sanctioned projects for Jharkhand, but nothing has yet been done on these project. We are giving revenue, Government should not take contribution from us. Promises of Kanda-namkum rail line and overbridges in Chakardharpur and Jamshedpur are not fulfilled till date. Tata -Allepi express runs in our area .Express train fare is being charged for this train whereas local train fare should be charged for this train. There is long pending demand for Ranchi-Hyderabad and Ranchi-Jaipur trains. It should be started as soon as possible. There is long pending demand for stoppage of Puroshottam express on Ghatshila. We have asked for change in the timings of Vananchal train. It will faciliate the people.

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SHRI TIRUCHI SIVA: The Ministry targets to become the largest freight carrier in the world. We have to appreciate the resource management. The Minister has tried to manage by methods like the FDI, PPP and all other things. If you are going to bring in FDI or any other thing, it should not be a burden on the passengers. Our people are already suffering with escalating costs. When connectivity is not available in many of the States, why are we going in for a bullet train at an enormous cost? Tamil Nadu has been totally neglected and injustice has been done to us. For the Cuddalore-Salem via Virudhachalam line, Manamadurai-Virudhunagar line, very mearge amount has been allotted. For the Tiruchi-Manamadurai line, you allotted only Rs.1 crore whereas for the Dindigul-Pollachi-Palakkad you are giving Rs.80 crores, it sounds unpleasant. Royapuram Station and the expansion of the ICF and Tiruchi Golden Rock workshop has to be elevated to the level of coach or wagon manufacturing section. There is a train from Trichy to Tirunelveli,it should have stoppage on Manapparai. I request the Minister to consider this long-pending issue. SHRI BISWAJIT DAIMARY: In northeast area trains are still running on meter gauge.Double line and electric engine is not available there.All states of northeast are not connected with railways.Survey of three lines namely from rangia to Samdroop Jongkher of bhutan,pathshala to naglam of bhutan and from basugaon to gelfu of bhutan have been done. But this work has not started till today. I request that whatever projects have been announced to connect Bhutan should be started soon. There should be ROB and railway level crossing wherever they are necessary in North East ignoring the factor of population. The coach factory in Guwahati has not yet been started. Whatever projects have been announced should be completed in time. The coaches of all the trains of North East are old and dirty. The new trains should be started there also. CHAUDHARY MUNAVVER SALEEM: What benefit the lower section of the society is getting from the Budget? This Budget is for the elite class and not for the common people. Nothing new has been given to Uttar Pradesh in this Budget. Vidhisha region has been

154 neglected with regard to trains. We don't need a bullet train but a passenger train. SHRI RAJPAL SINGH SAINI: The doubling of the railway line from Meerut to Saharanpur is held up and that should be completed. The AC coach of Nauchandi Express should be extended upto Saharanpur. SHRI BASAWARAJ PATIL: I hope from the Minister that ongoing works will be completed. The work of Bidar-Gulbarga railway line should be completed immediately. Hyderabad-Gulbarga intercity and Hyderabad-Raichur intercity trains should be started soon. I welcome the Bullet train. No assurance like coach factory should be given in future which can not be fulfilled. DR. T. SUBBARAMI REDDY: I demand for new railway zone in Andhra Pradehs. And, for this purpose, Vishakhapatnam is the most appropriate place from every angle. SHRI MADHUSUDAN MISTRY: Commercial viability is the main factor in deciding the railway lines. But, tribal areas in this country also need certain kinds of services. I will be very happy if Ahmedabad-Udaipur gauge conversion project is started again. Udaipur-Modasa-Ahmedabad-Mumbai railway line is not yet started. Rajdhani Express should stop at Sabarmati station. MPs quota in trains must be honoured. Dividing the work between Centre and States takes a long time. I hope the long pending complaint of injustice to Gujarat will be removed by the new Railway Minister. Dr. PRABHAKAR KORE: Expectations of Karnataka have not been met in this budget. It is requested that a new daily train between Hubli and Mumbai be introduced. THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS (SHRI D.V. SADANANDA GOWDA), replying to the debate, said: A large part of the discussion consisted of requests for allocation for ongoing projects, introduction of new trains and improvement of passenger amenities. I will take care of all the subjects that have been raised. As the Minister of Railways I cannot differentiate between states and I have to look at the country as one unit. There were no suggestions for revenue generation. I need to focus on completing the ongoing

155 projects. Apart from North-East and Kashmir, West Bengal has got maximum allotment. I have noted the suggestions of my colleagues and they will be considered favourably. Our priority is completion of ongoing projects, mobilization of additional funds, passenger amenities and safety. The fare and freight hike was done by the previous Railway Minister. The composite freight index in Railway Gross Input Cost has gone up. So, we are forced to have a price hike. We have received good response for investments from private sector. PPP route will be one of the modes where we can raise funds. It will give some response as far as resource mobilization is concerned. FDI in rail sector is a positive signal to the investors. Permitting FDI in rail sector will encourage railway infrastructure in the country. I wish to clarify that none of the existing railway functions are being privatized. Only infrastructure and other development will be taken care of and the operating part will remain with railways in future. We will also ensure that the coaches meant for lady passengers are guarded sufficiently in order to reduce crime against women in railway. The high-speed train project will be funded through bilateral funding mechanism as well as by FDI without burdening the travelling passengers and the common man. There are several demands from various States. There are certain constraints in taking up new projects in Kerala. Land acquisition for projects is difficult in Kerala. A request has been made for survey of new line from Chennai-Pondicherry-Ramnathpura-Tuticorin-Kudankulam- Kanyakumari. The same will also be considered positively. An MP from Tamil Nadu was requesting for speedy work that need to be carried out on Kumbakonam-Virudhachalam line. He has placed some other demands also. My friends from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were also making some demands. A Committee has already been formed to look into the matter. The needful will be done in both the States as per the States Reorganisation Act. The Chief Minister of Odisha met me and placed some demands. Soon after the completion of the Budget, we will sort out the problems as far as Odisha is concerned. The remaining demands of the hon. Members would be finally addressed in the next Budget after seven months. As far as Dedicated Freight Corridor and other things are concerned, they have already taken shape. I have made it very clear that apart from the

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North-Eastern States and the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the maximum share has gone to West Bengal. The motions for consideration of the Bills, were adopted. Clauses etc. were adopted. The Bills were returned.

SHUMSHER K. SHERIFF, Secretary-General. [email protected]

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ERRATA TO SYNOPSIS OF DEBATE DATED 22nd JULY, 2014

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136 31 Replace 'SHRIMATI KAHKASHAN PERWEEN' with 'SHRIMATI KAHKASHAN PERWEEN', making her maiden speech, said:'

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