On the day of his maiden visit to his hometown Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda stressed the need to bring innovation in the railways. Addressing a gathering of his party workers, Gowda felt innovation should be his Ministry’s priority, not laying railway lines. The Railway Minister who was responding to demands of the people and party workers for more lines, made it clear that innovation was on the top of his list.
He said, “I feel rather than focusing on populist measures such as creation of new divisions, railway stations or announcing new railway lines, the need of the hour is to bring innovation in railways.”Gowda, a former Chief Minister of the State and who hails from the RSS background, has been given a very important portfolio of Railways by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. By giving him Railways, a powerful Vokkaliga leader from the coastal district, the BJP is looking ahead on polarising dominant communities in the State.
A simple and admirable leader Gowda referred his mentor and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s contribution of creating road infrastructure which fuelled development across the country. He said, “I give example of golden quadrilateral highway project of the NDA Government led by Vajpayee, played a major role in the development process in the country. In the same way, Indian Railways should also be synonymous with development.”
Thanking Modi for giving him this opportunity, the Railway Minister wants to perform to the PMs expectations. Stating he has a huge task ahead, Gowda said he may require a month to understand the sector.He said he would not assure that he would achieve all his goals in a month or a year. But he would show the result during the five-year period. Just like the Railways that works 24X7, his motto is to work continuously for the development of the sector, he added.
later addressing party workers in Mangalore, he said he intend to bring major changes in the Railways sector and he would focus on Four S — Safety, Service, Security and Speed. He also said his Ministry was working towards bringing bullet trains as announced by Prime Minister Modi.He blamed his predecessor Mallikharjuna Kharge, also from Karnataka, for passing on the burden of price hike. He hopes country will see a metamorphosis under Modi.