The Minister of Railways, Shri Mukul Roy said that Railways have to take initiatives which will ultimately lead to the fulfilment of the goals set in Vision 2020 document presented by former Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee. He said that the document gave roadmap for the overall development of Indian Railways and aimed at broadening the agenda of inclusive growth. He said that a special monitoring mechanism would be put in place to expedite pending projects which are essential for Railways’ growth and modernization.

Addressing a gathering at the 57th Railway Week Central Function held here today, Shri Roy said that a strong thrust would be given for modernization of tracks, bridges, signalling & telecommunication works, rolling stocks and terminals. He said that Indian Railways is passing through a challenging period on the resources front. The working expenses of the Railways have increased due to various factors external to railways like increase in staff salaries, increase in diesel prices & electricity tariff, losses due to various agitations, losses due to ongoing economic slowdown and ban on export of iron ore in Orissa and Karnataka State Governments.

This has put a lot of pressure on Railways’ internal resources. He emphasized on the need to devise innovative methods for internal generation of resources and to launch an aggressive drive to mop up resources through non-conventional means like PPP initiatives, advertising on Railway locations and utilising the vacant land and space available with the Railways. Shri Roy said that Railway is committed to provide safe, secure, comfortable and affordable rail travel to passengers. 

Shri Mukul Roy further said that safety and security of passenger will continue to be the highest priority and all the necessary safety initiatives would be implemented to achieve zero tolerance on safety issues. The Vision 2020 document envisages elimination of accidents in the next ten years on Indian Railways. Shri Roy said that the accidents at unmanned level crossings also continue to cause concern and the commitment to eliminate such crossings in a focussed and time bound manner would be pursued with vigour. 

Shri Roy emphasised on the need for Railway system to be geared up with maximum efficiency so that it remains profitable and provides satisfactory services to its customers along with fulfilling its social commitments. The Railway Minister said that it is also necessary to address the issues of cleanliness and quality catering on Indian Railways. Shri Roy said his vision is to have, “Profitable, efficient. Safe and corruption free Railways with a special emphasis on its social commitments. Shri Mukul Roy congratulated the Zonal Railways, officers and staff who won shields, merit certificates and cash awards for their outstanding performance during the year 2011-12. 

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Railways, Shri K. H. Muniyappa said that Indian Railways’ commitment to the nation is unimpeachable. Shri Muniyappa pointed out that fresh measures have been introduced on the passenger facilities front like steps to prevent misuse of tatkal scheme, easy reservation of tickets through mobile phone, Rail Train Information System (RTIS) (opened to public in October 2011) for giving accurate train tracking details, development of multi-functional complexes for the rail users and so on.

He said that Indian Railways is an important nerve of the nation and each and every Railwaymen/women has an important role to play for the upliftment of this organization. He congratulated each and every awardee for their outstanding contribution and wished them all success in life. 

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