Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, on Sunday, blamed his predecessor, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, for putting him “in a fix” over the issue of effecting a hike in the passenger fares.
He was addressing presspersons after meeting officials of the Bangalore Railway Division here. He said Mr. Kharge had announced a 10 per cent hike in the passenger fares, but deferred its implementation with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections. “This has put me in a fix,” Mr. Gowda said.
Mr. Gowda said he needed some time to study the Ministry and the challenges before it, and added that he would form a committee with seasoned technical experts to seek their opinion. The committee would include experts such as E. Sreedharan, former MD of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
While expectations from him were high, he would try to do his best. At the same time, he would also have to consult the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office on issues in the Railways, he said.
Mr. Gowda said he had received a long list of demands from Bangalore. “Even if the whole Railway Budget is given to Bangalore alone, it won’t suffice,” he said.
He said he was looking at the modalities on how to go in for privatisation and that it was “premature” to speak about foreign direct investment in the Railways.
Referring to the recent Gorakhpur train accident, he said, “Safety, security, service and speed will be the guiding principles (of the Railway Ministry).”
Meets Sharief After meeting the former Railway Minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief, Mr. Gowda said passenger fare hike was necessary but people need not get anxious about it as the Railways would provide more facilities in return. He said no decision had been taken on the issue yet.
Mr. Sharief suggested to Mr. Gowda that the Railways could forge a tie-up with the coal sector as it would help both the sectors. He said that even if passengers had to pay more, the revenue would be used for the nation’s development.
Mr. Sharief said he had implemented the unigauge system throughout the country and was recognised for that, and suggested to Mr. Gowda that he too could take up similar tasks that would earn him national recognition.
Mr. Gowda said Mr. Sharief was the first person whom he wanted to meet and that he would visit him frequently to seek his guidance. On the occasion, he wished Mr. Sharief’s newly wed granddaughter and her husband.
