Mukul Roy: Kakodkar safety report is not 'sacrosanct'

Kolkata: Railway Minister Mukul Roy today remained non-committal on his ministry accepting the Kakodkar panel report on railway safety saying “Anybody can submit a report but it is not sacrosanct”. Stating the Railway Board would study the report which suggested imposing safety cess before taking any decision, Roy told PTI: “Anyone can submit a report. But it is not that it would be sacrosanct”. He said this when asked to comment on the railway ministry’s stand on Kakodkar panel report submitted on February 17 when Trinamool Congress’ Dinesh Trivedi was railway minister. Trivedi, who had in his railway budget for 2012-13 hiked the passenger fares across the board, incurred the wrath of party supremo Mamata Banerjee and subsequently resigned as railway minister. Roy who succeeded him rolled back most of the passenger fare increase effected in the budget presented by Trivedi. [caption id=“attachment_286055” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Mukul Roy in this file photo. PTI”]  [/caption] Highlighting the railways’ poor health, the high-level railway safety review committee had suggested far reaching changes in its infrastructure, seeking Rs one lakh crore investment which included mopping up of Rs 5000 crore as safety cess from passengers and no new trains. The committee headed by former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar also suggested setting up of a railway safety authority as an independent body and bringing Commissioner Railway Safety, presently under Civil Aviation Ministry, under its ambit. Earlier after inspecting the progress of work for the Joka-BBD Bagh metro project, Roy said what was being said in the media about the Railway’s poor financial health was wrong. “Other ministries get central financial assistance for functioning. There may be financial constraints but the Railway is financially self-sufficient,” he told reporters. Describing Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as railway minister as the golden age for the Railways, he said the ‘Vision 2020’ prepared by her in 2009 had drawn the roadmap for overall development of the railway. “We are moving with Vision 2020 in mind,” Roy said. To a question, he said the wheel and axle plant at Chapra in Bihar was ready and would commissioned any day. “We are also trying to expedite the setting up of two mega locomotive plants at Madhepura and Marhora in Bihar” on PPP model, he said. On the Joka-BBD Bag metro stretch which would link South 24-Parganas district with the city, he said as the Left Front government did not hand over tram tracks, the first phase of the project between Joka and Majherhat covering 10 km had suffered four to five months delay. The first phase was to be completed in 30 months from the start of the work in December, 2010. The entire 17 km Joka-BBD Bagh stretch will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore. To another question, he said railways was all set to take over the responsibility the East-West Metro railway project in Kolkata from the Union Urban Development Ministry and the state government. The Metro line will connect IT hub Sector V in Salt Lake to Howrah station across the river Hooghly. PTI