RS returns three Railway bills to LS

New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) Rajya Sabha today returned three Appropriation Bills authorising appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund to meet the amounts spent by the Railways during the 2005-2006 financial year after Railway Minister Lalu Prasad replied to discussion on the Railway Budget 2006-2007.

It was a tame affair, as the Railway Minister read out a prepared reply, keeping in mind the restrictions regarding new announcements for the five states facing the elections.

In his reply, Mr Prasad contended that the fiscal health of the Railways had improved by achieving higher freight targets and no increase had been effected in the passengers as well as freight charges. He said the government accorded top priority to security and would ensure that money was no constraint for making the tracks accident-free and improving passenger safety.

He said the government would examine the proposal to link Sikh pilgrimage centres of Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib by rail, He also assured that the government would positively consider demands by the MPs for a Nagpur-Pune Express and long distance trains running through Azamgarh at convenient time.

Mr Prasad stressed that the Railways would seriously examine the demands made by the MPs from West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Asom.

When the MPs demanded to raise issues and seek clarifications, Rajya Sabha Chairman K Rehman Khan said he would urge the Railway Minister to write letters to them individually.

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