State yet to plan rly budget proposals

Thiruvananthapuram: The failure to prepare proposals in advance, prioritize the needs of the state and effectively lobby for the cause will cost Kerala this time too in the upcoming railway budget. Though the state government has assured passengers of more trains, it has not even started the ground work to submit proposals to the rail ministry. “While other states are busy preparing proposals, Kerala has not even convened a meeting to discuss its rail needs. Lobbying wins more trains, infrastructure facilities and it seems that the state and its MPs are not interested. Authorities keep on promising more trains though track utilization is over 100%. What we need is additional tracks and automatic signalling systems; only then can new trains be introduced. Nobody speaks up for us,” said former Union minister of state for railways O Rajagopal. Thrissur Railway Passengers’ Association general secretary P Krishnakumar said the government should focus more on passenger and infrastructure facilities than division bifurcation and coach factories. “A proper survey must be carried out to ascertain passengers’ needs before approaching the ministry. Rail traffic and passengers inflow are increasing. The only way to address the issue is more MEMU services,” he said. A senior officer of Trivandrum division said a meeting will be convened next week to discuss budget proposals. “Unless the state lobbies effectively, we won’t get what we need,” he said. Meanwhile, Rajagopal said: “If the state maintains constant interaction with the railways, most issues can be solved. In Kerala, railway budget preparation is an annual exercise and it is discussed only when the budget document is ready for printing,” he said. (Shyam PV, Times of India dt 7-12-2012)