Railway Budget 2011-12

The Railway Budget for 2011-12 presented by Railway Minister Mamata Bannerjee for the next year is different in several aspects from the earlier budgets. Mamata, perhaps, set a record for her love for Bengal. Undoubtedly, former railway ministers also had paid greater attention to their respected states and constituencies. Prior to Mamata Bannerjee, Railway Ministers including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar, Madhav Rao Scindia and others, had been gifting new trains to their states and constituencies. In this light, Mamata has done nothing wrong if she follows her predecessors.

Still, Mamata's her love for Bengal appears to have burdened her mind heavily. Perhaps, it is because the state assembly elections are due there shortly. Mamata appears to have prepared herself to uproot the decades old communist government in West Bengal and become the chief minister. The things have come to such a pass that she is being accused of carrying out work relating to her ministry from Kolkata. Under the circumstances, if Mamata has showered her love on railway passengers in West Bengal, it is not a surprise and is on expected lines.

Railways Income
Like all the previous rail budgets of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), there has been no increase in passenger fare this budget, too. While presenting the budget, Mamata claimed that the railways income would surpass all previous ones. As far as her proposals for West Bengal, are concerned, she has proposed to introduce fifty more local trains for Kolkata alone. Going by her proposal, Kolkata would enjoy the pride of having the largest number of local trains. In addition to these fifty local trains, she also proposed to make Kolkata the 17th zone for Metro rail, and expand its sphere of activity.

Mamata has further proposed to set up a coach factory in Kolkata. She has also promised to set up a similar coach factory at Singur. It may be noted that it is the very same Singur where Tata had proposed to set up his Nano small car factory. Mamata had, then turned it as an issue against the Communist government and had forced the Tata group to pack up from there. To make good the loss the people of Singur have suffered, she now announced to set up a coach factory there.

In addition, she also proposed to set up industrial parks at Bongaiguon (in Assam) and Nandigram (in West Bengal), a software center at Darjeeling and a track machine industry at Uluberia (West Bengal). A lion's share of the twenty hundred thousand new jobs, she has announced to create in her budget, would naturally go to West Bengal. Sixteen other trains would also pass through West Bengal. She has also announced to introduce new train service in the name of Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore who happened to be from Bengal. She even included Bangladesh in her love for Bengal, when she announced a train up to Bangladesh. To give a fillip to the development activity in the Naxal (Maoist guerillas) infested areas, she announced to expand the rail network in these areas.

Attention to Vulnerable Sections
Despite her love for Bengal, Mamata has also paid attention to the vulnerable sections of the society in other parts of the country, the weaker sections, women folk, physically handicapped, former servicemen and their families, students and journalists and proposed numerous concessions for them. At the same time, she presented an attractive blue print to carry the railways forward. But, she is also accused of creating history by bringing the railways to the verge of bankruptcy.

Reportedly, the railways suffered a huge loss of Rs 250 billion because of her love of West Bengal. Senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sita Ram Yechuri maintained that during the last 81 days, railways released 79 advertisements in West Bengal. These and her other such activities are causing loss to the railways.

In a nutshell, notwithstanding her several announcements for the rest of the country, if these proposals and announcements are compared with those for West Bengal, the balance would, naturally tilt in favor of West Bengal.

Railway Budget (2009-10)

Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the new Union Proggresive Alliance (UPA) Government’s first rail budget of for the ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) without tinkering with passenger fares or freight tariffs and instead focusing on passenger amenities. Like her predecessor, Lalu Prasad Yadav, she has presented a populist railway budget with no hike in fares or freight rates, but without Lalu's stress on efficient fiscal management and profitability. She begins with a slight fall in the railways income, which she attributes to exaggerated projections in the last budget.
In her second ‘avatar’ as Railway Minister she brought forward from her National Democratic Allaince (NDA) stint the concept of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, saying the budget will focus on “inclusive growth” and expansion of the rail network to “take development to every corner of the country”.

Slew of Measures
Announcing a slew of measures including launch of 12 nonstop long-distance trains as well as airconditioned double-decker coaches for intercity travel, Mamata also spelt out concessions for the unorganised sector under the 'Izzat' (dignity) scheme.
Lalu had earlier announced a two per cent cut in passenger fares in the interim budget, she proposed a monthly season ticket of Rs 25 for people with an income of up to Rs 1,500 per month for travel up to 100 km. Other proposals included introduction of 57 new train services, extension of 27 trains and increase in frequency of 13 trains.
The Minister also announced special sops for students in Kolkata, for whom concessional monthly season tickets will be also applicable for travel in the city’s metro. The concessions will also be extended to students of madrasahs (Muslim educational institutions). The budget says the Railways will set up a 1,000 MW power plant. It plans to take over ailing wagon-making units like Burn Standards, run under the Heavy Industry Ministry, just to save 1,000 jobs in West Bengal. Her home state also gets a new coach factory. Seven nursing colleges will be set up on railway land in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and other cities.
The Minister proposed an outlay of Rs 40,745 crore for 2009-10. Of this amount Rs 2,921 crore will be spent on new tracks, Rs 1,750 crore on gauge conversion and Rs 1,102 crore on passenger amenities, which is 119 percent over and above the funds allocated in the interim budget. Rs 424 crore will also be spent on amenities for railway staff--79 percent more than the interim budget.
Mamata also announced a new coach factory would be set up at the Kanchrapara-Halisahar railway complex in West Bengal with an annual capacity of 500 Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs), MEMUs and metro coaches in the joint venture private partnership mode.

Suburban EMU Trains
She also proposed introduction of ‘only ladies’ suburban EMU trains in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata during office rush hours as well as airconditioned ‘yuva’ trains which, with lower fares, will serve young people and low-income groups. These will run from the major cities to the rural suburbs with fares ranging from Rs 299 up to 1,500 km to Rs 399 up to 2,500 km. Weekly services on a pilot basis will be introduced within three months between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata.
Timely track renewal, modernisation of signalling equipment and use of digital ultrasonic flaw detectors will be introduced for the safety of train passengers, besides an integrated security system that will be installed at 140 ‘vulnerable’ train stations. All-women Railway Protection Force (RPF) squads for female passengers will also be introduced.
The minister announced a dozen new point-to-point nonstop ‘Turonto’ (quick) trains and also proposed introduction of airconditioned double decker coaches for intercity travel.
FiftY ‘train stations will be developed as ‘world class’ stations with another 375 to come up as ‘adarsh’ stations with improved basic amenities. Multi-functional complexes with shopping facilities, food stalls and budget hotels are to be constructed at 50 stations that serve as gateways for tourist and pilgrimage centers or serve industrial clusters.
An ‘expert’ panel to suggest innovative financing and implementation of the new projects is being set up, she stated. The budget also announced the formation of a committee under Sam Pitroda, currently chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, to commercialise Indian Railways’ optic fibre network.
The budget stated that the priority would be given to bring about a perceptible improvement in cleanliness, quality of catering, safety and security and punctuality of all trains. To improve the cleanliness the Onboard Housekeeping Scheme (OBHS) will cover 200 additional trains. Doctors and infotainment services will be available on long distance trains.
The budget also proposed 1,000 new locations for passenger ticket reservation as well as expansion of unreserved ticketing system terminals from 5,000 to 8,000. Besides, automated ticket vending machines will be installed at 200 large and medium sized train stations. Computerised ticket reservation at post offices and mobile ticketing service vans were also being considered.
On extension of facilities for the physically disabled, there will be more ramps, elevators, escalators and special coaches for physically challenged and aged passengers.
In freight and parcel business, the premium services for container movement with assured transit times was being considered.
The Indian Railways would acquire 18,000 new wagons this fiscal against 11,000 in 2008-09. Private ownership of special purpose rolling stock for commodities and private operation of freight terminals will also be encouraged. Premium parcel services with guaranteed transit times will be introduced on a pilot basis on three routes initially. Reiterating her priority to extend railway services to farmers, Mamata announced introduction of special trains to ferry perishable farm products like fruits and vegetables as also village handicrafts and cottage industry and textile products from production clusters to consumers.

Highlights of Railway Budget
* 57 new trains, a dozen of them non-stop.
* Poor to get Rs 25 monthly tickets for 100 km travel.
* Rs 1,102 crore for better passenger amenities.
* One doctor on each long distance train.
* Tatkal booking time to be cut from five to two days.
* Yuva trains @ Rs 299 up to 1,500 km.
* 50 ‘world-class’ stations to be set up.
* Double-decker trains on select intercity routes.
* 60 per cent concession on tickets to all students.
* Concession for scribes raised to 50 per cent.
* SMS updates for waitlisted passengers.