Concerned over the destruction of its property in the hands of extreme leftist wings in Andhra Pradesh, the Railways has asked the state government to provide adequate security to trains and railway property in the vulnerable areas.
The minister of state for railways, Bandaru Dattatreya, disclosed this at a press conference here today.
He said the railways would restore the four trains diverted from the Naxal infested areas, on receiving security assurance from the state government.
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On less violence-prone areas, the railways had already restored three train services and would do so in the case of two more next week, he reminded, adding that five more train services have yet to be restored, he said.
The minister said the railways suffered Rs 25 crore damages as three of its stations had been blasted by the naxal groups.
On the increasing incidence of train accidents in the state, the minister said the railways were taking certain measures to avert any further mishaps.
Of the 114 road-over-bridges and road-under-bridges identified in the south central railway, 86 are under various stages of construction.
The railways had sanctioned Rs 52 crore and the state government was yet to fully match the grant, causing delay in their completion.
The unmanned level crossings which cause most of railway accidents number about 1842 in the SCR zone.
Of these 90 were proposed to be converted into manned level crossings. However, only 66 are getting manned this year.
The minister said the railways had proposed to streamline tenders process. First of all, the tender boxes would be kept at more than one place to thwart the actions of some in blocking the efforts of others to submit tenders.
The last date for tender submission would be set so as to enable all parties to submit tenders.
Tenders details and applications will also be put on the railways website and they can be submitted through post or courier, the minister said.
On the safety aspects in the SCR zone, the minister said that of the Rs 2,210 crore railway safety fund, the SCR was allocated Rs 400 crore this year.