New Delhi
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav made an important statement in the Rajya Sabha amid attacks by the opposition after recent incidents of railway accidents. He said that on an average, there were one or two railway accidents every day while Mamata Banerjee and Lalu Prasad had a railway minister, while now due to the policies of the government, this number has reduced to only 30 accidents per year.
How many accidents occurred in last term?
Vaishnav, while speaking, said that when RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was a railway minister (2005-06), there were a total of 698 accidents and derailment incidents at that time. At the same time, there were 395 accidents and derailment incidents while Mamata Banerjee was a railway minister. This number was limited to 38 when Congress became the railway minister of Mallikarjun Kharge. He said, “Earlier an average accident used to happen every day but now this number has come down to only 30 per year. If we include 43 railway accidents, then the total accidents are 73, that is, the earlier figure was now less than 80, which shows the decrease of 90%.”
Step towards improvement in the railway sector, the Railway Minister said that about 100 engines will be exported soon from the Madhaura factory located in Saran district of Bihar. He also said that this factory was inactive earlier but it was started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. Now the ‘Made in Bihar’ engine will reach the destinations around the world. Railways’ financial performance and future plans Vaishnav said that Indian Railways has proved its efficiency during the Kovid epidemic and now both passengers and freight are seen to be increased. The financial condition of the railway is good and efforts are on to improve it continuously. He said that “Railways is fulfilling its expenses from its income due to good performance.”
He also informed that the cost of a kilometer travel is about 1.4 rupees but only 73 paise is taken from the passengers. This year Indian Railways has produced 1,400 engines that exceed the joint production of the US and Europe. The plan to increase the number of non-AC coaches, the Railway Minister also responded to the allegations of reducing the number of General and Non-AC coaches. He said that the number of general coaches is being increased by 2.5 times as compared to AC coaches. Also, 17,000 non-AC coaches will be constructed under the current production scheme. At the same time, Ashwini Vaishnav, in his statement in the Rajya Sabha, highlighted the improved condition of the railway, reduction in accidents and future plans. He also informed that the financial condition of the railway is getting stronger and efforts are being made to improve it further.