 "Vivek Sahai")
It is the first budget of the Modi sarkar and in that sense, it sets the tone for the time to come. There was euphoria in the minds of the people that this would be a budget on a different track. The minister did raise many issues and gave some direction towards spelling out the new government's focus, yet nagging doubts remain as to how this promise would be delivered.
Let us first take the case of the high-speed trains. How are we we going to construct the first HSL from Ahmedabad to Mumbai? Will it be through a separate corporation or by the department itself? The source of funding, too, is nebulous. Unless these loose ends are tied up fast, the dream project might get embroiled in the labyrinthine process of administrative and technical evaluations and resource generation.
The minister spoke one sentence on the need for restructuring of the Railways, but did not elaborate. I hope some more light will be shed on this in the coming days. The decision for third-party evaluation of the quality of food is indeed a step in the right direction and so is the decision to bring in "pre-cooked ready to eat" meals. Establishment of a Railway University is a laudable project, considering that China already has four full-fledged railway universities where scores of doctorates are being awarded in rail-related topics every year. We do not have even post graduate courses in this subject.
It would have been better if some targets had been mentioned. For example, if more allotment of funds will be ensured for projects on the verge of completion, then how many kilometres (km) of new lines will get added this year and how many kms of track will get doubled to mitigate the stress on capacity constraints. Probably the "pink book" will throw some light on this aspect. However, the minister has been able to give a sense of direction and it is hoped he would devise means to ensure the delivery also happens in a time-bound manner.
Vivek Sahai
Former Chairman, Railway Board
Former Chairman, Railway Board
