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SHRI PRAMOTHES MUKHERJEE (BERHAMPORE) (WB): Ex-MPs do not get  reservation  in
Rajdhani Express Trains in their names.

SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN (HAJIPUR):



¸ÉÒ ®úÉ¨É Ê´É±ÉÉºÉ {ÉɺɴÉÉxÉ: ´É½þ ¤ÉÉnù ¨ÉäÆ Eò®ú ±ÉäÆMÉä*


SHRI  PRAMOTHES  MUKHERJEE (BERHAMPORE) (WB): When he was a sitting MP, he was
allowed.

SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN (HAJIPUR):



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SHRI PRAMOTHES MUKHERJEE (BERHAMPORE) (WB): But please do  something  for  the
Ex-MPs in getting reservations in their names in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express
Trains.

SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN (HAJIPUR):



¸ÉÒ ®úÉ¨É Ê´É±ÉÉºÉ {ÉɺɴÉÉxÉ: `öÒEò ½þè*


SHRI  SURESH  PRABHU  (RAJAPUR):  I thank the Railway Minister for immediately
acceding to certain demands.  Let me, Sir, first  finish  the  Konkan  Railway
part of it.

	There  have  been, as I mentioned, some stations on the Konkan Railway
which have not been used  and at the same time, there are  some  demands  from
some people to have some more railway stations because when it was planned and
contemplated, certain  areas  were  neglected.    So,  I request you to please
undertake a survey. I will give the names of  the  stations  which  should  be
there and  which should be covered by this.  I request you to please take care
of this.

	I  was  reading  the Annual Report of the Railways. There is a Railway
Recruitment Board which undertakes recruitment to bring  about  a  rationality
and  to make sure that no undue favour is done to anybody. I would request him
to please form Regional Recruitment  Board  for  the  Konkan  Railway  because
everything  else  is  separate for this. Konkan Railway has all other systems;
everything is functional autonomy there. So, this Regional  Recruitment  Board
for  the Konkan Railway is really necessary and I request the hon. Minister to
concede to this demand also.

	There is a Consultative Committee for various zones of  the  Railways.
But  there  is  no  Consultative Committee for the Konkan Railways and so, the
problems of the commuters, the problems of the people who travel by  that  and
the  problems  pertaining  to the Konkan Railway cannot really be redressed or
addressed, otherwise. So, I request the hon. Railway Minister to  please  look
into this.

	As I just said, I am really proud to say that the Indian Railways  are
undertaking jobs all over the world. This is something which is really a cause
of  real celebration. We should really compliment the engineers and the people
who are responsible for it. The  Konkan  Railway  Corporation  is  a  singular
example  of how it could be done in a record time, in a most difficult terrain
which is not only known to India, but to the entire world. Why can we not  use
the  expertise  of  the  Konkan  Railway  Corporation  to  undertake  projects
elsewhere in the world, in difficult terrains, where probably this system  can
earn  money  for the Railways? We should not dismantle this Organisation which
has been so superbly created.

	One more word I want to say. I will be failing in my duty if I do  not
mention  one thing about the Konkan Railway. Shri Sridharan who is the present
Chairman of this Railway as well as his team of engineers and  all  those  who
have  really  made it possible should be falicitated in some form or the other
by the people of India. It is time that we really record  their  services  and
their  contributions.  We  award  Padma  Shrees  and Padma Bhushans to several
categories of people. Probably, one of those Awards should be given  to  them.

There  has  to  be  some  thanksgiving, for this wonderful feat that they have
attained, by the people of India.

	I want to mention another thing which is not coming under  the  Konkan
Railway. It is a broader issue. We are embarking on a massive gauge conversion
drive.  During  the  year,  probably  we  have  done  about  758 kms. of gauge
conversion. When we do gauge conversion, the question which  arises  is  this:
when  there  are  some railway facilities available in some form or the other,
should we spend our energies, moneys and resources in converting that existing
one into another type of gauge which may be the superior form. By doing  that,
we  are really compromising and sacrificing the interests of other development
and not laying adequate lines because funds are getting diverted into that.

Sir, it is time that we come out with a good policy about how gauge conversion
should  take  place, what should be the trade-off between new rail development
and gauge conversion, etc. You should really come out  with  a  good  concrete
policy and this Government is committed to transparency. So, I think we should
come  out  with  a  transparent policy on the basis of new railway lines to be
started, matters like how we are reconciling to various demands from different
parts of the country, how we are giving preference to one region, how  we  are
going  in for gauge conversion with reference to new lines are something which
should be really debated and should be made as a part of the policy.  This  is
what I feel.

	About R&D exercise of the Railways, the hon.  Minister  has  mentioned
that various projects are already undertaken. My point is that some of the R&D
projects  are  definitely  meant  for superior engineering in various parts of
Railway operation. That is understandable and that is how it should  also  be.
There is no R&D project undertaken on provision of passenger comforts, for the
people who travel by trains to see what facilities could be offered to them to
make  them  comfortable,  etc.  I request the hon. Railway Minister who really
looks after the interest of the common man to undertake such a project so that
when people travel by trains, they will find their life better than what it is
now. So, R&D  projects  should  also  be  undertaken  with  that  kind  of  an
objective.

	There has been some improvement in the development of rolling stock of
the Railways. We always say that rolling stock is now sufficient to  cater  to
the  demand existing in the country. But I find that there are several sectors
which need improvement. You can see  that  coal  accounts  for  a  substantial
portion  of more than 60-65 per cent of the cargo handled by the Railways. But
the  non-coal  component   of   cargo   is   really   suffering   because   of
non-availability  of  adequate  rolling stock. So, it is time that we come out
with a blue print for 10-15 years from now about the envisaged demand for  the
railway coaches and how we are going to cater to that. This is something which
we should know.

	The  hon. Railway Minister must be complemented for Railways being the
first organisation to come  out  last  year  with  performance  linked  bonus.
Because  of that, all other sectors were also benefited. But in this Budget, I
do not find any provision made for this bonus to  be  paid.  Is  it  that  the
Government  is  not thinking of paying any performance linked bonus this time,
or is it that they are going to come out with a supplementary  budget,  or   mechanism,
etc? Has the cargo handling taken place in a different way? Even at ports,  we
are really doing a lot of mechanisation to handle cargo. Are the Railways also
going to handle cargo in a different way to make sure that the loss on account
of thefts comes down significantly?

	There are one or two points more. The fare structure also needs to  be
rationalised  in  the  case  of  Mumbai.  I  will give the details to the hon.
Minister.

	The  Rajasthan  Tourism is surviving because of contribution by Indian
Railways. He has mentioned in a Report in a very  nice  way  as  to  how  many
tourists  the  Indian Railways handled. The handling of bulk cargo or handling
of steel and coal, handling of passengers and handling of tourists is done  by
one  single  organisation.  Are  we  not  thinking  of making subsidiaries for
handling specialised type of  passengers,  like  the  tourists,  so  that  the
tourists  could  be  properly  catered  to? The revenues of the Railways could
increase and their specific needs could also be taken care of. The  passengers
travelling  by  suburban  railways, the passengers travelling on trunk routes,
the passengers travelling as tourists and the cargo cannot be treated at  par.
So,  I  think,  there  is a need to have some sort of a special subsidiary for
handling the tourists as passengers. I hope, it will be done.

	Out  of  the total land of 4.19 lakh hectare that the Railways possess
2,000 hectare have already been encroached upon. This 2,000 hectare  of  land,
which  has  been  encroached, is a big loss to the Railways. What steps are we
taking to retrieve this land from the encroachers? 2,000 hectare  of  precious
land and property have been encroached upon by the people. There is no mention
about the steps that have been taken about it by the Railways.

	Out  of  4.19  lakh hectare of land, another 25,000 hectare of land is
laying vacant. Probably, it is lying vacant for the encroachers  to  come  and
encroach.  What  steps are you taking to make sure that 25,000 hectare of land
will also not be encroached upon like the 2,000  hectare  which  have  already
been encroached.

	The condemned rolling-stock is of a very high quantity every year. Are
we thinking that a part of this condemned railway stock could be reconditioned
and sent to some of our friendly countries who would really benefit? Probably,
this gesture would also be  realised  because  we  are  hardly  realising  any
significant amount out of this.

	The  productivity  parameters  have not been mentioned anywhere in the
Budget. It is a time that we  really  come  out  with  the  figures.  He  also
mentioned  that our average annual wage has gone up from Rs. 45,709 in 1993-94
to Rs. 59,219 in just two years. It is  a  very  good  thing.  We  are  really
compensating  the workers in an adequate manner. But has the productivity gone
up in the Indian Railways during the same period? There is really  a  need  to
mention  the  per  employee productivity as we are mentioning the per employee
wage rate in the Railways.

	Sir,  the  public relations, education and advertising campaign of the
Railways have helped in creating a better image for the  Railways.  But  as  a
part  of  the  advertising  campaign,  is  it  really  necessary  to publish a
full-fledged photograph of the Prime Minister all over the country when we are
starting a railway line in one corner of the country or in  Bihar?  We  really
publish full-fledged advertisements all over the country and the cost incurred
on  that  probably  could be better utilized to offer better facilities to the
commuters.

										(ends)

MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER : I suppose you have concluded. 

SHRI SURESH PRABHU (RAJAPUR): Sir, if you say so.

MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Thank you.

	Now, the House stands adjourned to meet again tomorrow at 11 O'clock.


1801 hours


 The Lok Sabha then adjourned till Eleven of the Clock on

 Tuesday, March 11, 1997/Phalguna 20, 1918 (Saka).