Aishwarya Krishnan
The adventures she enjoys are usually of the literary nature. An MBA (Finance) passout, writing has been a passion for this Potterhead! ... Read More
The Indian Railways have been in the news for the frequent accidents that have been causing loss of lives as well as goods in recent times. The most unfortunate rail accidents include the Patna-Indore Express that jumped tracks near Kanpur, claiming 149 lives and 100 more injured. The increasing number of train accidents is raising an important question on the infrastructure of Indian Railways, which has one of the largest interconnected networks in the world. As the date for the Union Budget 2017 approaches, several economists are hoping for a higher investment towards better rail infrastructure and are also questioning some of the choices made in the Railway Budget 2016-17.
The Narendra Modi government had announced an investment Rs 1.27 lakh crore over five years on rail safety measures at the beginning of their reign in 2014. However, the recent rise in accidents and various other factors has lead people to question the decision made in the Railway Budget 2016. According to a Business Standard report, the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu may have compromised on the safety aspect in the Railway Budget 2016 by reducing the allocation in the Depreciation Reserve Fund (DRF). The DRF is used for replacement of assets like railway tracks, and the Finance Minister reduced the funding in this sector by 60% in the Rail Budget 2016 for the fiscal year 2016-17 at Rs 3,200 crore. The investment in this sector in 2015 was Rs 7,900 crore. Union Budget 2017: How is the Budget prepared by the Finance Ministry of India?
The CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also alleged that the safety measures in Indian Railways are on the decline. In his Union Budget 2016 speech, Prabhu had said rail safety would be one of the priority areas. However, a recent report in The Times of India reveals that there are 1.42 lakh vacancies in the safety category posts of Indian railways, which could be an indication of how the section is neglected in spite of the funds.
In light of these revelations, the government may pump in more funds for the Railways in the Budget 2017. This year will mark the end of the colonial practice of presenting the Railway Budget separately, as the government will announce the entire budget on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. Union Budget 2017 on February 1: Top 3 significant tax changes expected from Arun Jaitley in this Budget.
In 2016, the Indian Railways have made monumental changes in the infrastructural front with the launch of new class services like Mahamana Express, Gatimaan Express, Humsafar Express, redefining the travel experience of passengers. The railways came up with the biggest surprise of flexi fare for premier trains — Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi – from September 9, 2016, which increased the base fare as per the demand of the train tickets.
While these new introductions showed that Indian Railways is on the path of transformation, the lack of safety measures raises the question on whether the progressive nature of the budget is giving too much focus to introducing new services and less on sustaining the existing services. (Photo Credits: Jyoti Desale Pashte).
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