Mamata tells Railway GMs to implement projects on time

Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee today told the General Managers of all Zonal Railways to ensure that all the projects announced in the Railway Budget for 2010-11 presented by her to Parliament last month were implemented on time.

Addressing a conference of the General Managers (GMs) of the Zonal Railways and Production Units as well as representatives of the Railway Employees' Unions, Ms Banerjee said railway officers and staff should work with dedicaton and devotion and ensure there was no laxity in their performance.

She said the decisions taken at such meetings should be reflected in the functioning of the Railways at the grassroot level.

Ms Banerjee said there was a need for better coordination amongst various departments of Railways. Referring to the backlog of vacancies in the Railways, she said the Railway Board and Zonal Railways must undertake a comprehensive exercis in this regard.

She also stressed upon the need for making tender processes simpler and more systematic. She said that the focus should continue to be on safety, security, amenities and punctuality.

The Minsiter told the GMs to undertake special cleanliness drives both at stations and in moving trains. She said that there was a need for more surprise visits by the General Managers to monitor the progress and status of projects at various levels. She asked General Managers to prepare a detailed plan of action to implement various Railway projects.

She said that the financial powers to GMs and Divisional Railway Managers were being increased to ensure expeditious implementation of various projects. She said that efforts should continue to prevent any corruption and ensure more efficient and transparent functioning.

Referring to the increased number of incidents of derailment, she said that it needs to be reduced to ensure smooth flow of passenger and goods traffic. About the shortage of rakes, the Minister said that steps needed to be taken to improve availability and discourage monopolies, if any.

Ms Banerjee said the new projects announced were mostly on available railway lands and should be taken up on priority basis. She also called upon GMs to interact with industry representatives to encourage them to come forward for participating in various railway projects. She also emphasized the need for generating more revenues through commercial advertisements.

She spoke of the need for better facilities at stations, including free drinking water. She also called for better coordination with State Governments to ensure security of the travelling public.

NNN