261 The Appropriation [ 24 AUG. 1983 ] No. 4 Bill, 1983 262 (Railways) THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. RAMAKRISHNAN): The clarifications will continue after the Half-an Hour Discussion. Now we take up the Appropriation (Railways) No. 4 Bill. Shri Ghani Khan Chaudhuri. AN HON. MEMBER: What about the next Bill? THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. RAMARKISHAN); The Emigration BiH may not come up today. THE APPROPRIATION (RAIL- WAYS) NO. 4 BILL, 1988 THS» MINISTER OF RAILWAYS (SHRl A. B. A. GHANI KHAN CHAUDHURY: Sir, I move the BiH: THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. RAVtAiCRISHNAN): Do you want to speak? S^3RI A. B. A. GHANI KHAN CHAUDHURI; I do not want to speak. First let the Members speak. THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (Shri R. RAMAKRISHNAN): But you have to move the motion and speak on it. SHRI A. B. A. GHANI KHAN CHAUDHURI): Sir, I beg to move: That the Bill to authorise pay ment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 1983- 84 for the purposes of Railways, as paused by the Lok Sabha, be taken in*o consideration." Tha question was proposed. _______ 263 The Appropriation [RAJYA SABHA] No. 4 Bill im 264 (Railways) provided is too small for it. During the TBE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R, budget speech, the Railway Minister RAMAKRISHNAN): Shri Ladli Mohan himself said that he made a proposal to Nigam—not there; Shri Aurobindo the Planning Commission, but the Ghosh—not there; Shri Hari Shankar Planning Commission was able to Bhabhra—not there, shri sanction only half of what was Mohanarangam—not there. Shri M. required. I do not know whether the Kalyanasundaram. Railway Board and the Planning SRRI GHANSHYAMBHAI OZA Commission are alive to the seriousness of (Gujarat): The Janata Party may be the situation. The track capacity is very called first. limited and it is bad in many places. We have improved since ou* independence. I THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. do not say that we have not done anything. RAMAKRISHNAN): I will have to go We are now able to see long-distance b> the list provided to me. (Interruptions) trains from Cape Comorin even up to the That list is not here it might come slu*i borders of Kashmir. And we find super- Kalyanasundaram. fast trains. These are all improvements, no doubt. But correspondingly, do SHRI M. KALYANASUNDARAM we, do the Railway Board and the (Tamil Nadu): Mr. Vice-Chairman, Sir, Planning Commission, devote enough .his Appropriation Bill for Supplementary attention and find resources for Grants is for a total of about Rs. 175 improvement of the basic infrastructure, crores under one Head. It is an important that is, rolling stock track capacity and Head: acquisition of assets, rolling stock, power? Fourth comes staff. They will renewal of tracks, improvement of our all blame the staff for all the signalling system. These are the main irregularities and failures of the Railways. items of expenditure. I will make some points and I will (The Vice-Chairman (Shri R. E. request the Railway Minister to answer Morarka) in the Chair). these points. Having introduced super- fast trains and having anticipated This comes in one lump. During the increased offer of goods traffic, what are Question Hour this morning, our Railway the efforts undertaken? The capacity of Minister was in great difficulty to answer our locomotives is less than 3,000 H.P. questions about punctuality of trains, etc. How much can they haul? The best loco etc. What are the main reasons for the can haul 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes. Are you crisis which the Railways are facing satisfied with this? Should you not go in today? One is bad planning. T *o no* for production of locomotives with 6,000 know whether to blame the Planning H.P. capacity? Where is the proposal? If Commission or the Railways themselves you add one more coach to our long- who have to plan for their own needs. distance trains, which have 20 or 21 Ever since the end of the Fourth Plan, coaches, you have to put two engines. during the whole period of ten yearg of Two engines haul our Grand Trunk the Fifth Plan and the Sixth Plan, there Express and Tamil Nadu Express and was no effort *o add to the rolling even the goods trains. What does it show? stock—locomotives or wagons or It shows that a single loco has only half passenger coaches. The figures supplied the capacity to haul such trains. So have by the Railway Board itself speak for you plans to go in for increasing the themselves. They have been slack power of the locomotives? I think our indifferent for the past ten years with Research Designs and Standards Or- regard to improvement of rolling stock. ganisation of the Railways which is There ia stagnation. Even if they want to make up for this back-log, the amount 265 The Appropriation [ 24 AUG. 1983 ] No. 4 Bill 1983 266 (Railways) functioning near Lucknow can apply its speak from my personal experience of a mind to it, and our own workshops—two city like Madras. In Madras there are workshops are there, the Chittaranjan Loeo two gauges, metre gauge and broad Works and the Varanasi Diesel gauge. Why cannot they convert the Works—can be put to service to improve the capacity ol the locomotives. Unless these metre gauge suburban into broad gauge steps are taken, we can only do some suburban? Madras is a sprawling city; there political stunts—oh! the super-fast train is a lot of industrial development is running, the Rajdhani Express is taking place there; vast numbers of office employees, factory-workers, and others running, the Tamil Nadu Express is running. Can you stabilise? You can increase have to use the suburban train. But the the speed. (Time-bell rings). As regards arrangement is very poor even where there amenities to passengers, they have got is broad gauge railway. Between Madras superfast coach repair workshops Central and Tiruvallur and betwen Madras separately. (Time bell rings). But they are and Gummidi-pudi EMUs are very few. not staffed properly or the coaches are not You had ordered for EMUs in connection attended to properly. The condition of even with Asian Games. What happened to the the prestigious coaches is very bad because surplus EMU coaches? They can be of bad maintenance at the originating diverted to Madras. Our Minister is a stations. Secondly, about the travel to be dynamic person, although this morning his happy and pleasant. There was some performance was not so good. But he is a clamour for food with the introduction of the man who can make bureaucrats work. socalled base kitchen. But now the So, what happened to EMUs? But don't prices have gone up. From Rs. 2 it has think only of Calcutta, Malda and West gone up to Rs. 4 and non-vegetarian food Bengal always. You are Railway Minister now costs Rs. 6. The standard is very bad. The result is that passengers are unable to of India. You are able to send trains to touch the base kitchen food. Therefore, Malda. Of course, it is a backward area. you must study this catering arrangement I support it. But have the same energy and make necessary improvements. and same drive in improving the railways (Time-bell rings) Then about reservation all over India, not only of West BengaL there are a lot of complaints. You are now So I would request you to direct some going to introduce computers for EMU coaches to Madras, (time-bell reservation. But computers rings) Another thing is about the wheel and alone will not solve the problem un- i less you axle. Wheel and axle can be produced in Durgapur Steel Works. It is very increase the capacity of our passenger trains closeby. But the Railway Board does not and superfast trains. But please ensure that order for the wheel and axle from there. your computerisation does not affect the There is another Project which is coming existing . staff. They must b trained and up near Bangalore for the production of e wheel and axle alone for our coaches. It is absorbed in the computer system without any also very slow. They are ordering from loss of employment. As regards suburban outside; they are importing wheel and railways, recently the commuter rates were axle. Then if the Railways incur losses, increase out of proportion, even I after the who is to blame? Similarly, our railway Budget was passed. But what is the service workshops are capable of constructing V any number of wagons. Golden Rock that the railways are F ^S to the commuters? could produce 1,200 wagons. But now 1 can it is used only for repair and maintenance works. The Railway Convention Committee has 267 The Appropriation [RAJYA SABHA] JVo. 4 Bill, 1983 268 (Railways) [Shri M. Kalyanasundaram] Transit System, partly overhead and partly rail_ underground. This will cost Rs. 150 made recommendation that the Way a crores. This was the old estimate. Now it workshops should be strengthened so as to will cost more. For this a provision of produce more wagons. The Integral Coach only Rs. l crore ha been allotted in the Factory can produce 850 wagons. In the s supplementary grant. It ig very meagre. past both in the Railway Convention No use blaming the Planning Commission Committee and in the House I had raised alone or the Finance Ministry alone.