Railways: Pitroda Panel Suggests Modernisation Surcharge

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
New Delhi: Seeking to raise an investment of close to Rs 6 lakh crore for railway modernisation, a high- level committee on Monday suggested levying a surcharge in this regard from passengers and disinvestment of railway PSUs among other options to generate funds.

The Sam Pitroda-led committee has recommended that the modernisation surcharge from passengers be based on per passenger km basis which would help Railways generating the required fund. It further suggested setting of a railway tariff regulatory authority.

The committee appointed by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi last September to suggest modernisation, has asked the Railways to mobilise total investment requirements of Rs 5,60,396 crore for the proposed modernisation initiatives.

The committee has recommended that the modernisation surcharge from passengers be based on per passenger km basis.


At the same time the committee has also sought a gross budgetary support (GBS) of Rs 2.5 lakh crore for the next five years and raising Rs 2.01 lakh crore through internal generation for funding the modernisation initiatives that include complete overhaul of railway infrastructure.

Trivedi who received the report today, however, ruled out any possibility of railway privatisation saying "Railways will remain 200 per cent with the government only."

The committee has recommended for exploring new revenue models including commercialisation of rail land and stations to generate funds for modernisation of railway's core assets.

Giving major stress on pubic-private participation (PPP) model, the committee has suggested raising close to Rs 2.30 lakh crore through PPP projects.

While it has sought dividend rebate of Rs 24,000 crore which railways owes to the government on account of GBS and has pegged Rs 1.01 lakh crore which Railways could generate through leasing and borrowings.

Railways: Pitroda panel suggests modernisation surcharge - India News - IBNLive
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
Surcharge notwithstanding, I think the government really needs to hike the fares and divert more funds into maintenance, safety and security. If I were the Railway Minister, I would take the unpopular and un-populist step of hiking the fares. I don't care if people have to shell out a fortune to travel, but I'd rather they reached their destination alive, albeit on an expensive ticket, than reach the crematorium on a cheap ticket.
 

anoop_mig25

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
5,804
Likes
3,151
Country flag
well how many surchages as indian we have to pay. if money had been spent properly/wiselly such condition would had never arose.and whats promise that Modernisation Surcharge would be spent by IR on its Modernisation and nothing else
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
well how many surchages as indian we have to pay. if money had been spent properly/wiselly such condition would had never arose.and whats promise that Modernisation Surcharge would be spent by IR on its Modernisation and nothing else
The surcharge is just not enough. The fares for Sleeper Class need to go up by at least 50%. Why?
  • We need to hire more gangmen who walk along inspect the tracks. We need to raise their salaries as well.
  • We need to kick out those private contractors responsible for bridge maintenance. The repair work done by the Railways earlier were much more robust and privatisation has simply ruined so many of the bridges.
  • We need to increase the staff of RPF.
  • We need total overhaul of the signalling system.
  • We need to install controlled discharge system in the train toilets.
  • We need to run double decker trains in short but busy routes.
  • We need to build dedicated freight corridors.
  • We need to build more non-stop lines, that will not use existing ones, except at the terminal stations, for high speed passenger traffic.
  • We need to build new railway termini because the major ones are already inundated with traffic.
 

anoop_mig25

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
5,804
Likes
3,151
Country flag
The surcharge is just not enough. The fares for Sleeper Class need to go up by at least 50%. Why?
  • We need to hire more gangmen who walk along inspect the tracks. We need to raise their salaries as well.
  • We need to kick out those private contractors responsible for bridge maintenance. The repair work done by the Railways earlier were much more robust and privatisation has simply ruined so many of the bridges.
  • We need to increase the staff of RPF.
  • We need total overhaul of the signalling system.
  • We need to install controlled discharge system in the train toilets.
  • We need to run double decker trains in short but busy routes.
  • We need to build dedicated freight corridors.
  • We need to build more non-stop lines, that will not use existing ones, except at the terminal stations, for high speed passenger traffic.
  • We need to build new railway termini because the major ones are already inundated with traffic.
and all these stuff would happen only when railway minister doesnt announces new train for nexts 10 years and all those grabi rath are converted into duront. also d u think increasing AC coahes would earn revenue for IR as todays no body minds going into ac coahes and aslo todays 3 accoahes has bceom equivalent of sleepres anybody can come spent few bugs and gets a seat.
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
and all these stuff would happen only when railway minister doesnt announces new train for nexts 10 years and all those grabi rath are converted into duront. also d u think increasing AC coahes would earn revenue for IR as todays no body minds going into ac coahes and aslo todays 3 accoahes has bceom equivalent of sleepres anybody can come spent few bugs and gets a seat.
I think we should do away with sleeper coaches altogether and introduce AC 3 Tier en masse, encourage people to travel light, make all medium and short distance trains AC Double Decker Chair Cars and be done with it. We should also keep 3 or 4 general class coaches in most trains and let people rough it out there. Those who cannot afford AC 3 Tier can make do with private bus operators.
 

anoop_mig25

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
5,804
Likes
3,151
Country flag
I think we should do away with sleeper coaches altogether and introduce AC 3 Tier en masse, encourage people to travel light, make all medium and short distance trains AC Double Decker Chair Cars and be done with it. We should also keep 3 or 4 general class coaches in most trains and let people rough it out there. Those who cannot afford AC 3 Tier can make do with private bus operators.
donot mind it but those belonging to up/bhiar spread out in whole india would oppose such moves. the 2/3 generations of such up/bhiareies who have prospered , can afford 3/2 ac coach fare would and have still maintianed their ties with roots surelly oppose any such moves.better would gradually increasing 3 tire ac coaches in an train.

it allready takes 3 days from banglore to up/bhiar that to by train and think what would happen by road then . also about secqurity of such jounery
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top