Sonia Gandhi Opposes Corporatization & Privatization of Railway Units In Lok Sabha

Last week, Union minister Piyush Goyal said that the railways has no plans to privatise the national transporter or its premium trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi express, amidst speculation that there was a proposal to rope in private operators. Responding to a query on the privatisation of these trains and the entire network, Goyal told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that "no plan has been made".

New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh with senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi during the felicitation of Singh by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, in New Delhi, Wednesday, June 26, 2019. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: While speaking during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday raised the issue of privatization of railways and opposed the corporatization of a Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli from where she is a parliamentarian. "The 'company-karan (corporatization) of six railway units will render thousands of railway employees jobless," she said. "This methodology is to to help big corporate houses to get hold of country's assets," Gandhi added. She also lashed out at the government for doing away with the presentation of a separate railway budget in parliament. "Presenting Railway Budget separately was a unique and old tradition. I don't understand why the government has discarded it," she questioned. Gandhi also accuses govt of destroying PSUs to favour private companies . “Public sector undertakings which are temples of modern India are under threat. Their employees are not being given salaries on time. What is happening with BSNL, MTNL and HAL is not hidden from anyone, she said. Last week, Union minister Piyush Goyal  said that the railways has no plans to privatise the national transporter or its premium trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi express, amidst speculation that there was a proposal to rope in private operators. Responding to a query on the privatisation of these trains and the entire network, Goyal told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that "no plan has been made". The ministry in its 100-day plan has proposed that it will offer two trains to IRCTC, to operate on haulage concept, with ticketing, onboard services to be provided by them. The plan proposed that that the trains will run on important routes like the Golden Quadrilateral and Diagonals and connecting major cities. The proposal said that the RFQ/RFP will be floated in the next 100 days to initiate bidding. "Whether it is a fact that Government is planning for privatisation of trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi; In what manner Government would control the whimsicality of the private operators and travel fare after privatisation of Railways," asked Samajwadi Party MP Surendra Nath Nagar. Goyal replied, "No plan has been made for privatization of Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains. There is no plan for privatization of Railways." Meanwhile, railway worker Unions have been up in arms against the proposal and demanded to know why railways' production units are planned to be corporatised. In the 100-day proposal, the railways has also proposed to hive off its seven production units and associated workshops into a new entity called the Indian Railway Rolling Stock Company. (With additional information from PTI)