By SUNIL Sonkar
New Delhi, Feb. 24 — Social responsibility, says Mamata Banerjee, to be top consideration of railways. She adds that railway connectivity is the key to the growth of the country and delayed administration and also delayed prosecution should be addressed. Ms. Banerjee also came up with 10-year plan ‘Vision 2020′.
Mamata Banerjee says it is call of the time for public-pvt partnership in Railways and business firms must join hands with the Railways. She also added that the government won’t privatise the railways.
Railway Budget 2010: Highlights
* Banerjee proposes one thousand kilometers of new railway lines each year.
* 117 of 120 new trains to be flagged off for current fiscal
* 10000-20000 crore rupees to be raised in 2010-2011
* New model promised by Rail Budget to develop network
* Multilayer parking proposed along with cheap drinking water
* e-Ticketing vans planned at hospitals and universities
* New signalling system and special safety for passengers proposed
* Foe ex-servicemen and sportsmen special facilities proposed
* In next five years no unmanned Railway crossing will be there
* During Commonwealth Games special trains for Delhi
* No hike in freight tariff
* Five sports academies to be set up by Railway
* Sports academies at Secunderabad, Delhi, Chennai to be set up by Railways
* Law and order is state concern and not of Railway
* Tagore museums to be set up
* New ant-collission devices to be formed
* Five new coach factories to be set up
* 54 new trains to come in 2010-2011
* For Mumbai 101 new suburban trains to start
* 10 more Duranto trains
* AC service charge reduced to Rs 20 from Rs 40
* Freight rates cut on kerosene and food grains by Rs 100 per wagon
* On 16 routes more tourist trains to start
* No increase in passenger fares
2010/11 PROJECTIONS
* Plan outlay set at 414.26 billion rupees ($9 billion)
* Freight target set at 944 million tonnes
FUNDING
* Indian Railways Finance Corp (IRFC) to borrow 91.2 billion rupees ($1.97 billion) from the market in 2010/11
* Aims to increase earnings from non-core activities to 10 billion rupees from 1.5 billion rupees.
EXPANSION
* To introduce dedicated passenger corridor
NEW MEASURES
* To set up 10 auto, auto-ancillary hubs across India
* To introduce pilot project for fire detection
* To construct more underpasses for safety
