Left sees red on fare increase

Railways was a revenue earner8230; Instead of the Railways supplementing the overall revenue augmentation,it has become the other way around, said senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. He said the financial health of the Railways was extremely disturbing as it is now increasingly depending on general budgetary support for revenue.

His party colleague Basudeb Acharia said the budget was all sound and fury and lacked in substance.

The CPM said the anti-people nature of the Budget is further exposed by introduction of the fuel adjustment component to passenger fares which it asserted implies periodic increase in rail fares in tandem with the hike in fuel prices.

The party said the Railways financial health worsened under UPA-II and demanded an explanation from the PM. Credibility of the Rail Budget-making exercise further suffered under UPA-II because of a plethora of promises made in budget one year,only to be forgotten next year, it said.