Opposition, Govt spar over privatisation in Railways

“In the past three or four years, we have lost valuable lives of 400 passengers due to train accidents, compared to zero deaths between 2018 and 2021. Why is this happening? This is happening because of privatisation of employees,” he said.

Citing various incidents, accidents, Congress MP from Telangana Anil Kumar Yadav said “today passengers are afraid to travel in trains…”

RJD’s Sanjay Yadav alleged the “kavach” system has not been implemented properly, “but the government is not affected by the deaths”.

BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya said, “With record allocation, the government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to transforming Indian Railways into a world class network,” Bhattacharya said. “Before 2014, we saw how the Railway Budget was turned into an instrument of political calculations. Lofty promises were made but very little was implemented on ground,” he said.

YSRCP’s Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla said, “In last 10 years, the government tried to revisit the strategy of Railways… to keep in mind the future needs and demands, and also, the structuring of the Railways – the Railway Board up to the small stations. We are able to see results because of that,” he said.