The Railway Budget tabled by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the lok Sabha on Thursday evoked mixed response from the political and Non-Governmental organisations.
Praising the Railway Minister for presenting a ‘better budget despite challenges’, Chief Minister Raghubar Das said, “Decision of reserving 50 per cent seats for women and senior citizens in trains is a commendable step. Not increasing fares is a sign of intelligent railway management. Facilities to passengers have also been taken care of. Initiative of providing top-notch facilities even in general class is worth welcoming. Plans to take rail connectivity to North-Eastern India are also admirable. Overall, it is a progressive Rail Budget.”
According to former CM Arjun Munda, this Rail Budget is a balanced one. “Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s ideal of doing something along with others has been reflected in the Budget. All sections of the society have been taken care of and no far-fetched promises have been made,” he said.
However, Opposition parties in the State Assembly took a harsh stand on the Rail Budget for leaving out Jharkhand in the announcements. “This Rail Budget has been disappointing in Jharkhand’s context. Denizens here were expecting that new trains will be introduced in the State, trips of major trains will be increased and connectivity to major cities will be strengthened, but the Budget failed to deliver on either of these fronts. Also, railways’ dependency on PPP mode of operating cannot be justified either,” stated Congress State president Sukhdev Bhagat.
But the Rail passengers of the state seemed positive of the impact the Budget will have on the future of Indian railways. “We welcome the Railways Minister’s decision of not hiking fares. Using fundamental infrastructure and internal resources for increasing revenue is a step which will bear good results in near future. Introducing insurance for passengers is also a commendable feature of the Budget. We expect that the new varieties of trains announced in the Budget will prove beneficial for the people of Jharkhand too,” stated RK Sarawgi, president of Jharkhand Passengers Association.
Meanwhile, the FJCCI was disappointed with the Railway Minister for not making new announcements for Jharkhand. “Filled with sanitation, security and services, the Rail Budget is a reformist one. Plans to increase the speed of express trains and making goods trains punctual is a laudable decision. Emphasis on PPP mode will also be beneficial for the railways. But despite all that, we as a state were disappointed. Expectations of receiving new resources were left unfulfilled,” stated Pawan Sharma, FJCCI president.