GCCI welcomes railway budget
PTI, PANAJI | 15 March 2012 11:19 IST
Goa's apex industrial body today backed Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, stating that the hike in the fares proposed in the railway budget was "unavoidable".
"A steep hike in most of the railway rates, both passenger as well as freight, was expected in view of the increased fuel prices and particularly since there has been no hike in railway fares for the last 8 years," said Manguirish Pai-Raikar, President, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
Raikar termed the budget as `balanced', saying it has not added to the woes of the general, low and middle income group passengers, who are the main users of the railway.
GCCI said that "the budget has focused on passenger safety and infrastructure" and "the minister has not made any noticeable changes in the fares".
There is a lot of emphasis on modernisation of railway, improvement in safety of passengers and improving the quality of service and amenities," it added.
However, prima facie there did not seem to be anything of benefit for Goa, it added.
"A new train between Madgaon and Hapa in Gujarat will benefit Goans and we can expect the electrification of Vasco - Bangalore rail line in the near future," Raikar added.
