Ever-obliging Paswan takes off on yet another populism trip

He also revealed a proposal to link all international airports in the country with railway lines, on the pattern of what he had observed abroad. But Railway sources indicate that the proposal needed a detailed study to determine its feasibility: it may not be a good idea to build the railway line to the airport if the city did not already have a good metro rail system.

Free passes issued at the Ministry’s discretion have created controversy. Paswan however said that such discretionary travel passes numbered only 430 — and many of them had been given to eminent people to honour them. “They don’t even use them, they travel by air,” Paswan said.

But these discretionary passes are just a small proportion of the total number of free travel passes issued by the Railways every year — a staggering 51,000. A bulk of them — 47,000 — however go to the freedom fighters.

“I don’t think any Government will say that passes for freedom fighters should be scrapped,” Paswan said. Former MPs (1,670), gallantry award winners from the armed forces and the police and Arjuna award winners are some of the other categories entitled to free passes.

During his tenure as Railway Minister, Paswan has added a new category of pass holders soon 40,000 railway porters will also be entitled to periodic free travel. The facility will take the total of free pass holders to around a lakh.

Paswan however argued that the number was not overwhelming. Not counting the yet to be implemented coolies scheme, it all added up to just one free pass traveller among every two-and-a-half lakh passengers. The Railways carried over a crore passengers every day.

Though the Minister did not mention any figures, one official contacted later said free pass travel cost the Railways a mere Rs two crore a year. Another estimated the figure to be around Rs 10 crore, again `modest’ compared to the revenue earned.

The minister announced that 50 per cent of all new catering and vending licences will go to people belonging to the SCs and STs — until an overall reservation of 30 per cent was achieved for them in catering services. At present only 12 per cent of catering stalls are owned by SCs and STs.

Paswan reminded that he had already overturned an earlier decision to hand over the job of keeping railway platforms clean to contractors. The move had helped retain many Railway jobs, a large number of them being held by SC employees. He has also ensured that Railway recruitment boards had representatives from SCs and STs, Other Backward Classes and minorities.