Criticising the scrapping of the Railway Budget, the left parties on Friday said this move was to open up privatisation and commercialisation in Railways. General secretaries of CPI(M) and CPI, Sitaram Yechury and S Sudhakar Reddy said this decision was taken by ignoring the Parliament, which for the past approves railways’ finance and development.
“The haste with which the presentation fo the Railway Budget to Parliament has been scrapped raises genuine questions behind its real aim…By taking Railways away from public scrutiny through Parliament, is the Government preparing a ground for its privatisationIJ,” asked Yechury.
“The proposal of doing away with the Railway Budget is a disaster in the making, and portends damning consequences for India,” he added.
CPI leader Reddy expressed apprehension that the Railways would not get “enough priority” and the public service carrier’s projects may be “delayed”.
“Railway Budget and Railway department should be independent because big infrastructure is to be built. If it’s mixed with general departments, I am afraid it will not get enough priority,” Reddy said.
“Finance Department will look at it (Railway projects) as a commercial venture and not as public service ones and then in the commercial venture they will seek private participation”, he said, noting that some services, including canteen have been outsourced to the private sector already.