Loco and coach factories to come up at Marhaura,Saran bihar and Rai Bareilly , UP

AGRO PRODUCT OUTLETS AT RAILWAY STATIONS TO BE SET UP WITH PRIVATE PARTICIPATION PARLIAMENTARY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ON RAILWAYS MEETS

A new Locomotive Factory at Marhaura in Saran district of Bihar and a Rail Coach Factory at Rai Bareilly in U. P. have been proposed by the Ministry of Railways, for meeting the increasing traffic demand. With the coming up of these factories, the Railways will not only be getting more engines and coaches but also generate employment in those areas. Besides, the railway stations at the four Metros and some big cities will be developed on world class standards, complete with modern facilities like shopping malls, food plazas and underground parking etc. This was stated by Shri Lalu Prasad, Union Minister for Railways while delivering the opening address at the Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for MPs attached to the Ministry of Railways here today. The Union Ministers of State for Railways Shri R. Velu and Shri Naranbhai J. Rathwa, members of the Railway Board, other senior officials from the Railway Ministry and Konkan Railway Corporation were also present on the occasion. Shri Lalu Prasad said that accidents at railway crossings had become a burning issue. It has been seen that either the proposed level crossings do not fulfil the prescribed parameters for construction of Road Over Bridges (ROBs)/Road Under Bridges (RUBs) or there is reluctance on the part of the State Governments to meet the 50 per cent expenditure to be paid by the State Governments on construction of such ROBs/RUBs. Besides, demands are being raised for more level crossings, since immediately after the railway line is laid, villages and settlements come up in nearby areas. To solve this serious problem and ensure safety at railway crossings, the Minister assured the members that some solution will be found at the next meeting of General Managers of Zonal Railways and the State Governments will also be consulted to see to it that maximum number of railway crossings are manned in the shortest possible time. There are 16600 manned and 18297 unmanned level crossings in the country. Shri Lalu Prasad said that Railways had signed an MOU with the State Bank of India to set up 681 ATMs at various stations. Besides, The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for construction of Dedicated Multi Modal High Axle Load Freight Corridors with computerized controls on Ludhiana-Kolkata and Jawaharlal Nehru Port- Dadri routes on the Eastern and Western Routes respectively at an estimated cost of Rs.22000 crores. The Prime Minister will shortly be laying the foundation stone of this project. Construction of these corridors will not only meet the increasing demand for freight traffic but also relieve the existing rail lines for more passenger traffic. The members congratulated the Minister for the Railways’ excellent performance. Speaking on the issue of ROBs/RUBs, most of the members spoke in favour of evolving a solution to the problem of non-availability of funds and delays in the construction of such ROBs/RUBs by having consultations with the State Governments concerned as also making available more funds in the Railway Budget. One of the members suggested introduction of a train from Nashik to Delhi Azadpur Mandi so that agricultural products from farmers can be taken straight to the Mandi, which will result in increased margins for farmers and reduce traffic congestion on the roads. Another member suggested setting up of water coolers on all the railway stations with private participation. Suggestion for extending the Mewar Express to Dehradun was also made. Some members suggested better coordination between hospital and railway authorities for treatment of outpatients at the hospitals during incidents like the Mumbai blasts. The Members of Parliament, who attended the meeting, included Sarvashri G. Nizamuddin, Abdul Mannan Hossain, Furkan Ansari, K. Virupakshappa, Sartaj Singh Chhatwal, D. C. Srikantappa, Harisingh N. Rathod, Dr. Sebastian Paul, Prabodh Panda, Devidas A. Pingale, D. Ravinder Naik, Rabindra Rana, Tukaram Ganpatrao R. Patil, Joachim Baxla, Sk. Khabir Uddin Ahmed, P.G. Narayanan, Smt Kiran Maheshwari and Smt. Susmita Bauri.