Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has done a fine job by announcing that there would be no increase in fares and freight in the Railway Budget 2010-11. The introduction of new trains and provision of houses for all railway employees are steps in the right direction.
More than the Budget, the Indian Railways need vision to grow by leaps and bounds. Our Railways are quite a big entity and in order to have fruitful results, proper utilisation of funds earmarked for the Railways, sincerity and honesty of the officials concerned and due maintenance of our railway stations and trains are required.
Another chronic issue is comfort of passengers. Lack of drinking water and poor sanitation add to the woes of the commuters.
There is also a need to improve the infrastructure. The proposed plan to construct a record 1,000 km of railway lines in a year at a cost of Rs 4,411 crore is commendable. And the master plan for development of railway infrastructure in the North-East region will definitely pave the way for growth across the board in that region. No doubt, good infrastructure and modernisation will take the Indian Railways to the next level of achievement.
P Senthil Saravana Durai, Hyderabad
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