Lalu's 'fare play' to appease all eyeing poll

Presenting his fifth and last railway budget under this UPA government, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has tried to please everyone from ordinary public to top business companies and Industries, from Railway employees to porters and unemployed youths to honourable senior citizens. Lalu has kept his promise to present ‘Aam Aadmi’ budget by presenting a fair fare budget comprising high tech amenities with slashing fares.

UPA government has to face the general election, in the end of this year and Lalu knows better that ‘This might be his last budget’; so he has tried to attract maximum number of masses by tabling his full-fledge election budget to continue his regime. In the first view, it looks that his strategy might works up to great extent as he has offered little or more to the each category of society, but time will decide his fate and his so-called ‘Aam Admi’ budget.

Last year, Lalu had also presented a pro-people budget with extreme clarity that seemed a ‘dream’ budget in the first sight, but as the time passes, the people came to know that he had carefully pinched the ordinary people through utilising his super-managing skill. This ‘magical’ budget will also unveil as the time passes and when the plans actually come into effect.

An outline of Rail Budget-2008

Fare cuts

This is the first category that attracts the common man’s mind. Despite high inflation the Railways Minister has been able to keep the passenger fares down for the fifth consecutive year.

Here Lalu aims to please everyone by slashing fares for different categories depending on the nature of the travelling. Lalu has deducted Re. 1 in 50-km circuit’s travelling following last year’s strategy, while beyond 50-km range, he has shown the magical play by slashing a 5% cut in sleeper class, 2% cut in AC-III tier (Only in the higher capacity coaches), 4% slashing in AC-II tier fares and 7% in AC-I to beat the airfares.

However, Lalu has played a clever game here as these fares would only effective on off-peak season and non-popular trains while in on-peak seasons and popular trains, the deduction in the fare would be half, (only 2.5% cuts).

He also announced concession to 50 per cent for women senior citizens and same number in second class for AIDS patients.

[Moreover, these reduction prices are not applicable to all 450 pair of mail and express trains which have been classified as popular trains by the railways.]

On the freight field

Lalu knows better that Freight class generates more revenue than travelling class for Indian railways and puts more impact on the Indian economy. As the freight fares are very much liable in inflation that put pressures on the cost of the goods, he has provided subsidy in some selective commodities including diesel, petrol, fly ash and coal. Crude oil has touched the all time high level in the international market and plays a vital role in the automobile and industrial sector.

Following his last year’s strategy, Lalu has cut 5% fare in diesel and petrol while controlling the sky-kissing price in the construction field, he has reduced the fare in fly ash by 14% that has been used in manufacturing the cement. Railway Ministry has set the target to carry 310-metric tonne of additional freight loading in the next three years.

Better Amenities

Lalu has also pay attention towards the better amenities, which is often missed in most of the budgets. This time for reducing the long queue, Lalu has announced to launch to smart card facilities for easy ticketing to daily commuters. The number of ticketing counter will also be increased from current 3,000 windows to 15,000 in the next two years. The number of unreserved ticketing machine will also be increased up to 6,000 in the next two years.

The minister has also introduced the mobile ticketing system from this year viewing the boom in the telecom sector. Users can reserve their tickets by just sending sms. The trial of this system has been begun, as he informed.

For providing better convenience of commuters, Lalu has announced to establish lifts and escalators in top 50 railway stations while 30 bigger stations would have multi-level parking system. A special train for pregnant ladies and mother & babies would be launched soon as ‘Mother-Child Healthcare Express’ in alliance with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

For unemployed youth, Lalu has announced a special facility for those who don’t know Hindi or English. Now interested candidate can also select the Urdu language for entrance examination only in Group-D.

New improved technology

Announcing about the new technologies, Lalu Prasad Yadav has said that low maintenance and more comfortable stainless steel coaches would be used in the trains since 2010. In the next five-years plan 36,000 coached will be furnished with green toilets, while for better control of the railway network, an online control system would be introduced in the next two years. The number of CCTVs and metal detectors will be increased to cover all stations. Government will spend Rs. 250,000 crore over IT upgradation in the next five years.

Infrastructure updation

In the row of developing new infrastructures, railway minister has announced to invest Rs. 75,000 crore over several plans which includes

• To set up a 20,000 km high-density railway network • 50 new terminals would be developed for storage • The Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) will connect the Mundra, Kandla and Krishnapatnam ports. • 50 big terminals have been planned in Mumbai, Pune and Ghaziabad.

Amenities for the employees

In his fifth railway budget, Lalu has taken an historical decision to include porters and gatekeepers as IV th class employees of the railways. This might be proved one of the best election cards of Lalu, because only SC, ST, OBC and the candidates of minority and economical week communities will be treated as forth class employee. The porters must have legal licence of porting. In last year’s budget the gangmen had included in the railway employees community.

Railway has also enhanced the ‘Employee Welfare Fund’ by contributing 10 times more, now for every lower class employee; government will donate Rs, 350 instead of Rs. 35 in the Welfare fund.

Social liabilities

Yadav has also touched the area of social liabilities including special concession to various categories of the public that covers senior citizens, students, sports persons, AIDS patients and new born babies with their mothers. Now AIDS patients will also be included in the list of special quota for the patients and get 50% discount in the railway journey.

Lalu has provided special facilities to girl students and women senior citizens. Girl students up to graduation level will get the free monthly seasonal pass while Women Senior Citizen will get 50% discount all classes of ticket.

Security Concern

This is the sector where Lalu has not got so success in the others field, the increasing number of minor and major accidents are the proof of it. However, he has announced some formula to make safe railway including:

• All level crossing to be manned • CCTV in all the stations • Filling the all vacant seats of constables and Sub-inspectors including women quota • Replacement of 2,500 old signals with new ones

New trains [Here is the complete list of the new trains]

Railway Minister has also announced to introduce 53 new passengers trains and 10 new ‘Garib Raths’ trains besides extending the route of 16 trains and increasing the frequency of 11 trains.

Special Trains between Pune-Delhi for Commonwealth Youth Games and also Mumbai suburban to get 300 additional services.

Other Important Announcements

1. A new rail coach factory to be set up in Kerala.

2. A new wagon re-construction unit to be set up at Garkha in Chapra District.

3. Modernisation and development of Workshops at Jamalpur, Lilluah, Perambur and Ajmer.

4. Taking over of Mokama and Muzaffarpur wagon factories.

5. Setting up of a 1000 MW thermal power plant, a joint venture of Indian Rail Bijli Company Ltd. with NTPC, at Nabinagar District of Auragabad, Bihar.