Dinesh trivedi welcomes Fare hike

Cautious Trivedi ‘welcomes’ any move good for railways

Express news service

Posted: Oct 10, 2012

Kolkata Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, who had to resign as RailwayMinister within days after presenting the rail budget as his party chief Mamata Banerjee disapproved his proposal for a passenger fare hike, on Tuesday reacted cautiously to the Railway Ministry’s move of setting up a Railway Tarriff Authority saying “any move that is good for the railway’s health, safety and modernisation has to be supported.”

Refusing to elaborate, Trivedi said: “I had mooted the same proposal of setting up a railway tarrif authority. They are doing what I had proposed.”
He, however, did not comment when asked about party’s stand on the issue as the new authority is most likely to increase the fare.
Meanwhile, senior Trinamool leader MukulRoy, who replaced Trivedi as railway minister and later resigned after the party pulled out of the UPA II government, was not available for comment. A text message to his mobile phone seeking his comment on the setting up railway tariff authority went unanswered.

Some party leaders, however, said the Trinamool would oppose if there is a hike inrailway passenger fares. “The question of supporting passenger fare hike does not arise,” he added.