Lok Sabha debate: MPs express concerns over increasing rail accidents

New Delhi: Several MPs on Wednesday voiced their concerns over the increasing number of rail accidents and the state of railway services in India.

Congress MP from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Harish Meena, during a debate on the Demands for Grants for the Rail Ministry in the Lok Sabha expressed his frustration with the lack of attention to railway safety and passenger welfare.

"No one is paying attention to rail accidents. This is a political budget, with no new trains or relief for my constituency. Two trains were shut down but have not been restarted yet. I demand that these trains be operational," Meena stated.

"Vaishnav, in his position, is following in the footsteps of great leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri, who took responsibility and resigned. Who is accountable here? Is it Rajiv Pratap Rudy?" he asked.

BJP MP from Bihar's Saran, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, in a sharp retort, said, "You were the DGP in Rajasthan, so you are responsible for any accidents that happened there."

Congress MP from South Goa, Captain Viriato Fernandes, highlighted the importance of railways for the common man and criticized the fare hikes.

"Railways have been a crucial part of our economy and essential for the common man to fulfill his dreams. However, with the fares going up, it is becoming out of reach for the poor. There is uncertainty over safety, with a large number of accidents in the past ten years. The focus on increasing revenue through freight, especially coal, is concerning given its environmental impact," Fernandes remarked.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Ballia, Sanatan Pandey, brought attention to the plight of workers from Purvanchal.

"While there is talk of high-speed trains like Vande Bharat, the trains in Ghazipur and Ballia are still running at 30 km/h. With so many accidents, people will stop travelling by train if this continues," Pandey warned.

Samajwadi Party MP from Etah, Devesh Shakya, lamented the lack of railway development in his area.

"No one talks about the railway line in Etah. We have been waiting for 50 years. Etah is known for its Ganga-Jamani tehzeeb; a train from Kasganj to Haridwar would benefit the devotees," Shakya said.

In contrast, some MPs praised the government's efforts in improving railway infrastructure.

Janata Dal (United) MP from Jhanjharpur, Ramprit Mandal, highlighted the expansion of rail tracks in Bihar.

"In the past ten years, the rail tracks in Bihar have expanded threefold and 490 under bridges have been constructed across the state," Mandal noted.

BJP MP from Garhwal, Anil Baluni, termed the last decade as a "golden period" for the Indian Railways.

"This period has been unprecedented in the history of railways. Many areas that could only dream of trains now have railway access. The average speed of our trains is now 80 km/h and in the past year alone, 5000 km of railway lines have been constructed," he said.

Baluni also mentioned the increased budget allocation compared to the UPA regime and the introduction of Vande Bharat and Jan Shatabdi trains.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP from Khagaria, Rajesh Verma, compared the railway stations to airports in terms of facilities and praised the government's budget allocation.

"The government has provided the largest budget for railways. I especially thank our Rail Minister for the rapid pace of work, which has tripled," Verma said.

DMK member T M Selvaganapathy said Tamil Nadu was discriminated against in the budgetary allocations for railways and several projects have been pending in the state for over a decade.

BJP member Dilip Saikia thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for expanding the railway network in the northeastern states.

He also flagged that his constituency of Darrang Udalguri was yet to be put on the railway map and expressed hope that the region would get rail connectivity soon.