Rlys seeks more funds

After rolling back most of the fare hikes that were meant to pull railways out of financial difficulties,Railway Minister Mukul Roy sought more budgetary outlay from the Centre for the national transporter on Thursday. Roy attributed the Railways poor financial condition to the economic downturn and the added fiscal burden due to the Sixth Pay Commission.

My endeavour would be to generate more revenue through advertising,use of vacant land and commercial utilisation of railway stations, he told the Lok Sabha.

Seeking more funds,Roy requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to provide additional allocation to meet the rising demands of the Railways to achieve efficiency and provide more safety.

Roy also rejected a demand by some members for a Railways Tariff Regulatory Authority,which was mooted by Planning Commission.