The Consumer Protection Council, Tamil Nadu, has criticised the increase in the train fare announced by the Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Friday and said that it was unfortunate that passengers had become the soft target.
In a statement here on Friday, S. Pushpavanam, secretary of the council, said that railways service was deteriorating and its finances plummeting.
Railways required drastic surgery to recover. Thorough overhauling, reduction in staff cost (which is 55 per cent of expenditure), privatisation, disinvestment, and accountability at all levels were what was needed.
This piece-meal increase would not solve the problems. It should have been the last option. This increase was inflationary.
Freight increase would have a cascading effect on inflation, Prof. Pushpavanam said and added hat the Railway Minister should have waited till the budget.
