Lalu Prasad announces `Garib Rath' to Kerala

`Garib Rath,' a fully air-conditioned train which will make journey between Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi possible for Rs.600, will start service within two months, Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has said.

He said this after commissioning of the electrification of the Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram line and laying the foundation stone for the Kochuveli second terminal in the city on Saturday. He also laid the foundation stone for the modernisation of the Thiruvananthapuram Central station.

The Minister said `Garib Rath'-type services would be launched from all State capitals to New Delhi. The fare would range between Rs.550 and Rs.600 and it would take two months to get sufficient number of coaches, he said.

Sanction would be accorded for electrification of Thiruvananthapuram-

Kanyakumari and Thrissur-Guruvayur lines. The central station would be developed with world-class facilities. Accent was being given on developing passenger amenities. Scarcity of land was the main reason for the delay in executing new projects in the State. He asked Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Minister in charge of Railways M. Vijayakumar to sort out all developmental issues with senior railway officials.

In a bid to secure fair price to farmers, the railways would provide container services and also facilities to sell their produce. This would help to generate more jobs. He reiterated that the railways would not be privatised.

Union Minister of State for Railways R. Velu allayed fears over the bifurcation of the Palakkad division. This would help increase the efficiency and make the division a compact unit. The offices in the Palakkad division would not be closed. Mr. Vijayakumar said the Government would submit pre-budget and long-term proposals for railway development to the Minister.

Mr. Achuthanandan urged Mr. Prasad to accord sanction for setting up a coach repairing factory at Nemom, suburban services in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode and new services to Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore among other things. Kerala was yet to figure significantly in the railway map, he said.

Southern Railway general manager Thomas Varghese welcomed. R. Mohan Doss, general manager, CORE; Ramesh Chandra, member, electrical, Railway Board; district panchayat president Anavoor Nagappan; V. Sivankutty, MLA; Varkala Radhakrishnan, Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, Panniyan Ravindran and Varkala Radhakrishnan, all MPs; and Mayor C. Jayan Babu offered felicitations. Thiruvananthapuram divisional manager S. Vijayakumaran proposed a vote of thanks.