Railways needs Rs 60,000 crore for its projects

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) The Railways will require Rs 60,000 crore for completing its projects and modernising and expanding its infrastructure to achieve the targeted growth rate of nine per cent, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad had said.

''There is an imperative need to strengthen Railways' infrastructure, which requires huge investment for modernisation and expansion,'' Mr Prasad said last evening, addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his ministry.

Addressing the meeting which had on the agenda "Mobilisation of Resources for Railway Projects" here last evening, Mr Prasad said that despite registering a growth rate of 14 per cent in passenger earnings and 17 per cent in freight earnings as well achieving a surplus of Rs. 20,000 crore, the Railways would need more funds to complete the existing projects in a time-bound manner.

Firmly ruling out a policy of indiscriminate privatisation in the core activities of the public sector transport behemoth, he said the Railways had invited Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the non-core sector like modernisation of the metro and mini metro stations, construction of dedicated freight corridor, logistic parks, warehouses and budget hotels.

He said the Railways had planned to set up some 100 budget hotels on its land by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) through PPP and work on 22 locations had started.

Taking note of complaints of general public and Members of Parliament about the poor cleanliness standard of station premises and trains, the Minister said the Railways had decided to observe this year as 'Railway Cleanliness Year'.

''I have issued specific guidelines to railway officers to improve cleanliness at stations and trains during this period,'' he added.

Mr Prasad said the safety and security of Railways is ''our foremost priority'' and security had been strengthened at important stations by installing CCTVs, metal detectors and dog squads etc.

''However, despite these efforts, providing security is not possible without the help of passengers and general public,,'' he added.

The MPs appreciated the efforts made by the Railway Ministry and praised the minister and his work force for taking measures, which had yielded remarkable results and led to a 'turnaround' in its financial position.

The Members also urged the minister to allocate maximum funds for the ongoing railway projects in the states.

UNI