For the first time in its tortuous relationship with the mercurial boss of the Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee, the Congress has decided to put up resistance - by making her wait for Dinesh Trivedi's removal.
HT reports.
Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, who is facing opposition from within his own party for proposing a hike in passenger fare in the Rail Budget, today got support from the Railway Unions which lauded his initiative and refused to accept a rollback.
A day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee demanded sacking of the railway minister, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the government will "consider" replacing Dinesh Trivedi if such a situation develops.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, who supported the hike in railway fares, today said he would not mind being sacked for doing the right thing.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Thursday received support from an unexpected quarter when Left leader Gurudas Dasgupta told the Lok Sabha she had "every right" to demand a rollback in railway fare hike in view of the burden on the common man.
Stating he will not run away from his duties, railway minister Dinesh Trivedi on Thursday said neither Prime Minister Manmohan Singh nor Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had asked him to resign.
What Trivedi set out to do |
I discharged my duties
It’s not just ambitious rail infrastructure projects that have been sanctioned, there are several small-scale projects that are expected to bring immediate relief to Mumbaiites who go through the daily grind of local train commute.
While the bone of contention for much of the nation in Wednesday’s railway budget was the hike in ticket prices, the 68 lakh commuters in Mumbai were more concerned about another aspect – whether the budget would make provisions to improve services on the suburban network, the city’s lifeline.
Mega projects such as the Mumbai Urban Transport Project III, fast corridors to connect city to far-flung suburbs get sanction.
Dinesh Trivedi made a valiant attempt to arrest the steady loss in freight traffic share to the trucks.
The UPA, facing flak for the spiralling cost of essential commodities, on Wednesday came under fresh Opposition attack over the rail fare hike that they said would further hurt the commoners.
Brickbats
Railways minister Dinesh Trivedi has proposed a correction in fares to provide cleaner and safer services for the public, but he still has the mammoth task of dealing with the pending rail projects across the country,
HT reports.
In the light of criticism over a spate of accidents last year, modernising the Indian Railways' safety infrastructure was one of the main points of Dinesh Trivedi's budget, Moushumi Das Gupta reports. Cost of safety
Pursuing a "reformist" agenda, Dinesh Trivedi sparked off a controversy within the TMC and marked a big departure from the UPA tradition by announcing an up to 20% hike in passenger fares, Srinand Jha reports.
The Union Railway Budget has not extended any special favours to Delhi. The Capital’s railway stations that handle the burden of its adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana haven’t been awarded with any big ticket development project.