Mamata scripts thanksgiving rail budget

KOLKATA: Barely 24 hours before she presents her third Rail Budget after a nine-year hiatus, Union railway minister and Trinamool chief, Mamata Banerjee, is clearly in high spirits, buoyed by Wednesday���s stellar show by the TMC-Congress combine in West Bengal���s civic polls. True to her image, the railway minister, it is learnt, is preparing to present a ���people-friendly��� budget.

���The minister is pro-people and will present a people-friendly budget on Friday,��� top sources in Rail Bhavan told ET on Wednesday.

Hours before the Budget session of Parliament was due to get underway on Thursday, speculation doing the rounds suggests Ms Banerjee may tinker with fares a bit. However, the big-bang proposal for the aam aadmi is one she has already mentioned soon after taking charge. A Rs 20 monthly pass for commuters who are engaged in the informal sector, those with no regular earnings, domestic help and small traders ��� people with monthly income of not more than Rs 500. It was introduced during her previous tenure but, somehow, lost its way subsequently.

The buzz is that one can expect passenger amenities to figure high on her rail budget platter with mention of affordable, economic ���janta��� food being available at key stations across the Indian Railways network.
Given the strain on Railways freight earnings, rates on major commodities like steel and cement can attract incentives. Freight rates can, however, be calibrated at any point and not necessarily dependent on a budget announcement to be enforced, sources pointed out.

Ms Banerjee is likely to favour more public private partnerships (PPPs) to boost growth in railway infrastructure. Pending projects will receive special attention. The rail coach factory at Rae Bareli will receive the minister���s attention. More significantly, the ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor Project will be taken up on a serious note.

There is also a lot of expectation in Kolkata that the city���s iconic Howrah station may get a fresh boost as part of Railways��� bid to convert it into a world-class station. New Delhi and Patna stations too are on the initial list of 22 stations that will be converted into world-class stations by the Railways, a move that was initiated by Ms Banerjee���s predecessor Lalu Prasad. There is speculation that Sealdah too will be included this year.