The Damocles’ sword has fallen. Ever since the Trinamool Congress exited from the Congress-led UPA government in September last year, a hike in rail fares was on the cards. Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Wednesday announced the inevitable, a steep eight to 20 per cent hike in passenger fares from the midnight of 21 January.
Coming just a month before the annual Budget for the next financial year, Bansal tried to sugarcoat the steep hike claiming passenger fares were increased just 2 to 10 paisa per kilometre and that the last hike was nearly 10 years back.
Justifying the hike, Bansal said: ‘The losses in passenger segment which were Rs 6,159 crore in 2004-05 had risen to Rs 19,964 crore in 2010-11 (18 per cent per annum) and is expected to increase to Rs 25,000 crore in 2012-13.’ He said the hike was ‘imperative’ to maintain and improve the safety measures and cleanliness of the trains as well as upgrade railway stations. He further said there would be no increase when the annual rail budget is presented in February.
The proposals will rake in an additional Rs 1200 crore between 21 January and 31 March this year, Bansal said announcing the decision and did not rule out a hike in the freight tariff. According to the proposed plan outlay, fares of ordinary second class (suburban) trains will go up by 2 paisa per km while for non-suburban travel it will be 3 paisa. Travel by second class mail and express trains will be costlier by 4 paisa per km, while it will be 6 paisa in Sleeper Class.
Travellers by AC Chair Car and AC Three Tier will have to shell out 10 paisa more per km, first class by 3 paisa, AC Two Tier by 6 paisa and AC First Class by 10 paisa. The fares for First Class, AC Two Tier and AC First or Executive Class were already raised by 10 paisa per km, 15 and 30 paisa respectively in the current year’s budget.
While the TMC, the BJP and Left parties attacked the government for this price hike and demanded for immediate roll back. Terming the decision as ‘anti-people’, they said it would further hit the common man who is already reeling under price rise and inflation.
TMC top brass said this hike was totally ‘not required’ and ‘undesirable’. ‘It has been imposed on the common man and the TMC will protest against this price hike from 10 January’, said Subrata Mukherjee, TMC leader.
Coming just a month before the annual Budget for the next financial year, Bansal tried to sugarcoat the steep hike claiming passenger fares were increased just 2 to 10 paisa per kilometre and that the last hike was nearly 10 years back.
Justifying the hike, Bansal said: ‘The losses in passenger segment which were Rs 6,159 crore in 2004-05 had risen to Rs 19,964 crore in 2010-11 (18 per cent per annum) and is expected to increase to Rs 25,000 crore in 2012-13.’ He said the hike was ‘imperative’ to maintain and improve the safety measures and cleanliness of the trains as well as upgrade railway stations. He further said there would be no increase when the annual rail budget is presented in February.
The proposals will rake in an additional Rs 1200 crore between 21 January and 31 March this year, Bansal said announcing the decision and did not rule out a hike in the freight tariff. According to the proposed plan outlay, fares of ordinary second class (suburban) trains will go up by 2 paisa per km while for non-suburban travel it will be 3 paisa. Travel by second class mail and express trains will be costlier by 4 paisa per km, while it will be 6 paisa in Sleeper Class.
Travellers by AC Chair Car and AC Three Tier will have to shell out 10 paisa more per km, first class by 3 paisa, AC Two Tier by 6 paisa and AC First Class by 10 paisa. The fares for First Class, AC Two Tier and AC First or Executive Class were already raised by 10 paisa per km, 15 and 30 paisa respectively in the current year’s budget.
While the TMC, the BJP and Left parties attacked the government for this price hike and demanded for immediate roll back. Terming the decision as ‘anti-people’, they said it would further hit the common man who is already reeling under price rise and inflation.
TMC top brass said this hike was totally ‘not required’ and ‘undesirable’. ‘It has been imposed on the common man and the TMC will protest against this price hike from 10 January’, said Subrata Mukherjee, TMC leader.