Dattatreya Condemns Hike In Railway Fares

Former Union Minister of State for Railways Bandaru Dattatreya slammed the Centre for increasing the railway fares.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Dattatreya said that the Centre has increased the fares by almost 20%, putting a burden of Rs. 6,600 crores on the common man. Describing the move as an anti-people measure, he said that it was ridiculous to collect development charges of Rs. 5 on each ticket.

Dattatreya said that presently, Indian Railways was hit due to a lack of development, no safety, no expansion of network and improper maintenance. Therefore, the hike in fares could not be justified. He said that the government's decision to hike the fares before the beginning of Parliament session in February was highly unjustified. He demanded that the government withdraw the hike immediately and debate the issue in the Parliament. (INN)