Tenth Series, Vol. XL, No. 28 Tuesday, May 16, 1995 Vaisakba 26, 1917 (Saka) LOK SABHA DEBATES (English Version) Thirteenth Session (Tenth Lok Sabha) (Vol. XL contains Nos. 21 to 30) LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NEW DELHI Price,' Rs. 50.00 [ORIGINAL ENGLISH PIlOCEEDINGS INCLUDW IN ENGLlStl VERSION AND ORIGINAL HINDI PROCEEDINOS INCLUDED IN HINDI VERSION WILL BE TREATED AS AUTHORITATIVE AND NOT THE TRANSLATION TlfEREOF} CONTENTS [Tenth Series, Vol. XL, Thirteenth Session, 199511917 (Saka)] No. 28, Tuesday, May 16, 1995Naisakha 26, 1917 (Saka) COLUMNS ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 'Starred Questions Nos. 562 and 563 1-19 WRIDEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 'Starred Questions Nos. 561 and 564-580 19-35 Unstarred Questions Nos. 5729 to 5958 35-237 PAPERS LAID ON THE TABLE 259-261 COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Reports - Presented 262 STATEMENT BY MINISTER Accident involving 6019 Madras-Kanya Kumari Express and Empty Goods train Shri C.K. Jaffer Sharief 243-244 STATEMENT CORRECTING REPL~ TO STARRED QUESTION NO. 397 DT. 2.5.95 RE : ISSUE PRICE OF FOOD GRAINS 262-263 MAnERS UNDER RULE 377 (i) Need for construction of a bye-pass on National Highway No. 52 at North Lakhimpur, Assam Shri Balin Kuli 263-264 (ii) Need to give clearance to the pending irrigation projects of Vldarbha region of Maharashtra Shri Shantaram Potdukhe 264 (iii) Need to stop shifting of Research and Development wing of the Government gun carriage factory, Jabalpur to Pune Shri Shravan Kumar Patel 264-265 (iv) Need to grant statehood to Vidarbha Shri Uttamrao Deorao Patil 265 (v) Need to set up L.P.G. outlet at Dhanora in Moradabad district, U.P. Shri Chetan P.S. Chauhan 265-266 (vi) Need for early construction of railway overbridge at Damoh in Madhya Pradesh Dr. Ramkrishna Kusmaria 266 (vii) Need to provide better railway facilities in Nadia district, West Bengal Shri Ajoy Mukhopadhyay 266 (viii) Need to declare Nagapattlnam-Cuddalore-Mysore State highway as national highway Dr. N. Murugesan 267 DEMANDS FOR GRANTS-(GENERAL), 1995-96 176-176 (I) Shrl Chandra Jeet Yadav 21P-274 Shri Bhogendra Jha 275-279 The Sign + marked above the name of a Member indicates that the question was actually asked on the IIoor of ItMl House by that Member. (i) (ii) COLUMNS Prof. K,V, Thomas 279-281 Shri Ayub Khan 281-286 Shri Dau Dayal Joshi 286-289 Shri K.D, Sultanpuri 289-290 Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao 290-304 ! Ministry of Communications 'Prof. Pram Dhumal 307-319 LOK SABHA DEBATES LOK SABHA selling agems. In view of the fact that the Railways do not have any difficulty with regard to selling their tickets, Monday, May 16, 1995/ Vaisakha 26, 1917 (Saka) how is it that they continue this practice of appointing travel agents who extort extra money from the genuine (The Lok Sabha met at Eleven of the Clock) railway passengers? May I also know from the hon. [MR. SPEAKER in the Chair] Minister whether the Railway Ministry will institute an inquiry into the functioning of such travel agents and to see how much disservice they are rendering to the SHRI C.K. KUPPUSWAMY (Coimbatore) : Sir, the genuine railway passengers? Madras-Kanyakumari Express has met with a serious accident in which more than 130 persons have died SHRI C.K. JAFFER SHARIEF : Sir, so far as and two hundred injured. There should be a statement instituting an inquiry into any misuse is concerned, from the Railway Minister. It is a very serious matter. certainly we can do that. There is no problem about that. It is not a question of merely promoting sales. As MR. SPEAKER: The Minister has informed me that the hon. Member has rightly said, that is not the situation he is going to make a statement. We shall take it up today. Even the Indian Airlines or any other agency after the Question Hour. does not require any promotion of sales. The traffic has Question No. 561 - Shri Surajbhanu Solanki - increased everywhere. This practice of appointing travel Absent. service agents would help people coming from far off Question No. 562 - Shri Rupchand Pal. areas to the railway station and get crowded, and people who have got lot of work and cannot find time to come and stand there in the queue and purchase the ticket. Railways are concerned with the recovery of ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS money by the sale of tickets. 11.01 hrs. These are the three aspects which are more important. Today major cities and towns have grown. [English] People come to me and complain that they will have'to Travel Agents pay more than the ticket fare to the autorickshaw and + taxi people or others to reach railway station. So, I '562 SHRI RUPCHAND PAL : thiink this helps them and we would be interested in SHRI HANNAN MOLLAH expanding this facility wherever the sizeable traffic is Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: there and townships and cities have grown bigger. (a) whether the Railways authorise Rail Travellers' SHRI RUPCHAND PAL: Sir, I want to mention about Service Agents for Railway Bookings; the functioning of these travel agents whose number is about 349 or something in the Zonal Railways. In places (b) if so, the terms and conditions applicable to where aged and ailing people or for that matter any such Agents; and . such persons who do have difficulty to go to proper (c) the number of such Agents working in each railway station which is the originating or terminating zone? point of the trains, it is being said that such people THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS (SHRI C.K. JAFFER have to depend on travel agents who render such service. It is also said that the Government is in a mind SHARIEF) : (a) Yes, Sir. to expand such service. In view of the fact that computer (b) Rail Travellers' Service Agents are authorised reservation system has been installed in the Railways to purchase tickets on behalf of the passengers by and the situation has improved to some extent in respect standing in queue like normal passengers in the of availability of tickets, the situation to minimise corrupt reservation offices. For the service rendered, they have practices has improved in respect of selling of tickets. been permitted to realise a specified service charge May I know from the hon. Minister whether the from their clients. Government is considering or is prepared to consider (c) 349 Rail Travellers' Service Agents are working installation of. computer reservation counters in all on Zonal Railways. important junctions from where long distance trains originate and terminate? SHRI RUPCHAND PAL : Sir, it is becoming more and more difficult for the genuine railway passengers to SHRI C.K. JAFFER SHARIEF : Sir, we have been have a proper railway ticket for their proposed journey. providing that facility in big stations and. by and large What is sometimes seen is that some persons by using more than 60 per cent of important stations have been their muscle power do occupy the queue in the name covered by this facility. Regarding the other 40 per cent of authorised travel agents. The travel agents are we are progressively doing and it is our intention to generally appOinted the world over for the promotion of cover all the major and important stations from where sales, may be In the airlines or maybe elsewhere, as trains originate and terminate'? 3 Oral Answers MAY 16, 1995 Oral Answers 4 . SHRI HANNAN MOLLAH : Sir, I want to know SHRI C.K. JAFFER SHARIEF : I cannot give you the whether the Governmjlnt is aware of the fact that after whole lot of information right now. I may tell you, this is' the privatisation of selling of railway tickets through the area where we need your support. It is our duty to agents, large scale corruption and malpractice, are take action if anything goes wrong. It may happen that taking place in big stations like Howrah, Bombay and some cases are not brought to our notice but whenever other places. Is it a fact that these agents, instead of a case is brought to our notice, we have certainly taken standing in the queue, are making block purchases in action. league with a section of employees and purchasing SHRI HANNAN MOLLAH : You have not said tickets in different names and· selling them to other 'anything about the small station agents. Instead of persons who travel by impersonation? They are selling appointing the staff, you are appointing the Commission tickets at double the prices and a section of these agents Agents for selling the tickets. are earning huge amount in this process. I want to know whether the Government is aware of such MR. SPEAKER: The Hon. Member also wanted to malpractices and if so are they taking any action and know the criteria for their appointment. secondly whether it is a fact that in small stations instead SHRI C.K. JAFFER SHARIEF : The criteria is that of keeping staff you are appointing commission agents one should have sufficient funds to deposit and for selling tickets. There is no Station Master there. Is p.urchase the tickets. We want to follow the same pattern it a fact that such things are happening and if so what as is being followed by the Indian Airlines. is the criterion of appointing such commission agents and whether the unemployed youth are appointed and SHRI BASUDEB ACHARIA : But what is the pattern what is the policy regarding that? that you are following? SHRI C.K. JAFFER SHARIEF : Sir.