Rly Minister says no to privatisation

new delhi: allaying railway workers’ fears over privatisation, railway minister nitish kumar on tuesday said: “there is no proposal at any level of government for the privatisation of railways.� inaugurating a seminar on “safety for drivers and assistant drivers,� organised here by the northern railwaymen’s union (nrmu), the minister said, in a democratic country like india, the railways “cannot be run on purely business-norms of profitability.� he said the railways, “a strategic sector,� is the backbone of the country’s development, besides being a prime factor in its emotional and regional integration. the minister stated this when the president of the northern railwaymen’s union (nrmu) expressed fear that the government was moving towards privatisation of the railways. the nrmu president also highlighted operational problems faced by loco drivers, such as — long duty hours, improper stress management and the problem of fatigue etc. the seminar coincided with the international day of action for railway workers under the aegis of the international transport workers federation and all-india railwaymen’s federation. the minister also inaugurated a computer education centre run by the nrmu delhi division and the manav sewa sansthan. mr kumar said in the last few years, railways passed through a very critical financial phase, necessitating the deferment of payment of dividend to the central exchequer, which was not a solution or a healthy practice. asserting that the railways is on the “path to recovery,� mr nitish kumar said, while he was sure it would be self-sufficient in its operations, the budgetary support for rail projects should come from the central exchequer. but, for realising this dream, the railway workers would have to play a critical role by ensuring the safety. he said while the special railway safety fund would concentrate on replacing and renewing ageing railway equipment — rolling stock, old tracks and bridge — his major concern was human failure which was responsible for almost two-third railway accidents.