A top body of industries in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh today welcomed most of the Rail Budget proposals, but said the move to increase freight rates for some commodities will make raw materials costlier adversely nearly all business segments.
Federation of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTAPCCI) thanked Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for not increasing passenger fares and proposing to invest Rs 8 lakh crore over the next five years towards passenger amenities.
Shiv Kumar Rungta, President of FTAPCCI, said he welcomes the Minister's proposal to partner with private sector to improve rolling stock fleet and also in development of stations.
"The initiatives like introduction of SMS alerts (to inform passengers about train arrival/departure), development of paperless ticketing system, extending facility of wi-fi to category B stations, e-catering in 108 trains and ordering food on the IRCTC website are all steps in the right direction," Rungta said in a release.
The increase in freight rates for cement, coal, iron & steel and urea will push up cost of raw materials and adversely affect all industrial segments, he noted.
As new trains and projects are yet to be announced by the Minister, Rungta hoped that both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh would get a fair share of them.
