Prime Minister Narendra Modi's grand vision of the world's largest railway network will usher a growth engine for the nation, says Union Railway Minister of State Darshan Jardosh. Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, the minister shares how the ongoing works of the Railways will be a game-changer after completion for the entire Kashmir Valley.
Q: There is talk of a world-class railway station. What kind of initiatives have been taken by your ministry on this and how many cities will have such world-class stations?
A: We have made a lot of resolutions for 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav' under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Railways are our lifeline. We are ready to give it a new look to enhance the infrastructure to move it forward. As we think for the family, all the employees, along with the officers, have decided that we should do something new in the 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav'. The world-class railway station is PM Modi's most important dream. The first of these is Gandhinagar railway station. A five-star hotel has also been constructed on it and this has been done on the PPP model. Similarly IRCTC, through HTC which will support the infrastructure of railways. As many as 75 new railway stations across the country are planned to be constructed on the PPP model.
Q: The focus is on infrastructure. What kind of infrastructure will the country need and how will the railway department work in the future?
A: We will continue to serve the people till the last mile. We are considering whether to use the railways for freight. Even for the passenger and the development that has taken place in our country. Railway lines right from our major ports will benefit the railways and will be given more attention. Signal work is in progress. Cabling work is also underway below. The cables will be attached to the railway. Accordingly, this signal can be automated. Because the person piloting the train is a rail man. The government is considering ways to speed it up in a short period of time. Attention is also being paid to this. If we look at many stations, many states like Gujarat, the whole work has been completed through railtel. This is happening very fast in many states.
Q: How will underline wiring be done?
A: The cable line will be connected and signaling will be done when doubling of underline work is started. This is because the signal will be emitted from both the mediums, which will be at the crossing and there is also an unmanned gate being considered. Flyover bridges are also being built. Where crossings are coming up in cities and villages, the government is considering reducing accidents and making it easier for people to move around.
Q: Do you think there is a lot of work left to be done by the previous government especially in terms of infrastructure?
A: Very little work was done against the given target of say 100km of work needs to be completed. Today, we have set the target. Where large infrastructure projects are underway. There is also a timeline for when the project will be completed and this is being planned before the commissioning of the project. A lot of the hard work goes into it.
Q: There are some trains since the pandemic started that have not yet been back on tracks... your comments.
A: Only the railway was running empty during the Corona pandemic. Oxygen tankers were operated. The train also took its workers, PPE kits, medicines and even food. That means the train was always running. But vaccination is also very necessary for a normal life. The railways have completed the entire infrastructure. The entire railway staff has been vaccinated along with their families, but we have to be very careful at stations. This is applicable to all states. In Maharashtra, as in Gujarat, some places have not been exempted, as there are more cases. The state governments have set their own target for vaccination. By and large, the vaccination is over. Many trains have already been operational before Diwali.
Q: Crowds are always been spotted at railway stations. If the government is sensitive about security, how will the ministry provide security in a crowded area and especially high-tech security?
A: All railway stations are being monitored by RPF and CCTV footage. Vaccination centers have also been set up at stations. Testing is also done for the tourists who are in transit. The crowd at the railway station is being controlled in terms of platform tickets. Only a few people are allowed to go on platforms for security reasons. So our first target is to have no problem in train travel with booking and to be able to travel the train on time with cleanliness.
Q: You have also been tasked with the infrastructure of the bullet train. The bullet train project between the two states is Prime Minister Modi's dream. This operation is going on very fast in Gujarat, but so far it has stalled in Maharashtra. How will this matter be resolved?
A: Everybody likes development. A lot of discussions with the villages are being done by Danve Saheb as he was the Minister there and being the BJP state president of Maharashtra. The work on the bullet train project is going on very fast in the same way that there is talk of installing pillars from Ahmedabad to Umargam. Talks are also being held with the Maharashtra government. There is also a conversation going on at the level of our officers. We have thought that before 2024, we will build the infrastructure from Ahmedabad to Umargam.
Q: Considering Covid, a lot of things have opened up. How much has the traffic increased on the railways?
A: Traffic problems come to the government from the people and from the Member of Parliament. Our DRM, GRM, has a lot of systems in demand. There is a demand that the train should run as before but we focus on human facilities. To make the "Jaan Hai To Jaan Hai" motto a success, we have thought that traveling will be the same as before after the vaccination is completed, but we are making a lot of efforts for freight. A train took agricultural produce, the first train of textiles was going with saris. Coal and steel are also transported. The government is also committed to importers and exporters using port facilities.
Q: Do you think traffic will increase when kids get vaccinated?
A: Kids have to be taken care of on a priority basis. India is among the first countries to prepare for vaccinating kids. I feel once the number of Covid cases subsides, all trains will continue as earlier.
Q: What kind of work has been done to set up a network in the NorthEast region?
A: I myself have visited two places in the region, and have also visited Uttarakhand. The railway work is going on in hilly areas. Truly the engineers there are doing a very good job and they have decided that this work should be completed very soon. Work has started on 10 spaces simultaneously. Together they will be connected. The longest tunnel in the country has also been built with such technology. Scientists are working on considering the geography of these areas. The same thing is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. I also visited Guwahati in the North East. There also trains with Vistadom coaches are in demand considering the natural beauty of the region to develop tourism in the region like in Gujarat from Bilimora to Waghai in Dangs. That way trains are running for many areas.
Q: What is your ministry doing to enhance tourism in Assam. In the North East areas, the government where you said there are Vistadome coaches trains. So how much thought has been given to this?
A: These trains have reached all over the place. The biggest thing is the trains and coaches to be built here are as per PM Modi's target of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Vande Bharat express running between Varanasi and Delhi and Katra and Delhi is the best example. Similarly, we have decided to run 75 trains of Azadi Amrut Mahotsav across the country.
Q: There is a railway track from Jammu to Udhampur, from Udhampur to Baniyal to Baramulla. A railway track is also being built from Kashmir to Ladakh. So when can we go to Ladakh from Jammu?
A: A target has been set, the cabinet minister himself went to Jammu. I myself have reached Vaishnodevi by train and went to Baramulla. When I was traveling from Srinagar on the Banihal track, I saw the work going on very fast. The railway works going on in Kashmir will be a game-changer for the whole Valley once completed. The way I went to Phoolgam. There are so many tourist destinations. The expectations of the people that the train can go to those places have also increased. The people of Kashmir want development work in the same way as in other states of our country. The way development is gaining momentum is on the lines of the Prime Minister thought. Railways is also operating with a single mindset.
Q: Contrary to what the Opposition terms as 'national assets, the government is going on a privatization spree. In the end, how will these schemes benefit the people?
A: They (Opposition) did not do what they said during the 70 years of Independence. The infrastructure was to be built which was to provide facilities was not done. We are with new planning, tell me one thing the cattle farmers of villages earn by selling milk from the cattle doesn't mean that the cattle will go away. If another train player runs on our tracks, doesn't mean that the property of the train will be lost. There are a lot of places that have been built around the railways. Such as the railway colonies which have gone old, now if these are built with a new look, additional spaces will be saved. We are moving forward with this modern idea, that if we give it to the private player and they develop it with Malls or other facilities. The Opposition will do its job and our target is to provide facilities to the people as soon as possible.
Q: Passengers complain that they are being charged more with the same facilities as special?
A: No, you may have noticed that the train is very clean. Trains are already running on time due to tracking. The railways have made a big board of their own. When you come to the Delhi office, you will see. The way you see on the dashboard which train is going where at what time. If it's late, how is it late? So all these things will be monitored with modern technology.
