Members in Rajya Sabha want government to address corruption in Railways

NEW DELHI: Members in Rajya Sabha today urged the government to address various issues plaguing railways including corruption, accidents and women safety.

Participating in a debate on the Rail Budget, Arvind Kumar Singh (SP) expressed concern over railways running into losses due to scams and asked the government to address this issue seriously.

"If the corruption is not addressed, losses cannot be brought down," he said.

He also highlighted other issues affecting the railways. Be it trains running late or pathetic catering, railways services have not improved yet, he said, adding there is also big concern about accidents and safety issues.

Speaking in favour of the budget, S Muthukaruppan (AIADMK) said it was a welcome step that the government did not hike rail fare. He, however, sought support in implementation of many rail projects in the states.

Mansukhlal Mandaviya (BJP) said the budget has a vision to change the destiny of the railways as it has something new and omission of traditional things.

Contending that the budget is based on ground reality, he welcomed the move to increase funds for maintaining cleanliness at stations and setting up of perishable cargo stations for the benefit of farmers.

The Budget will benefit both farmers and common man, he added.