Modi said 'Vision 2020' will make the Railways free from constraints.
Lok Janashakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan on Sunday described West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as an "unpredictable" leader, who was humiliating the Railway Minister publicly apparently to slight the United Progressive Alliance government.
Against the backdrop of stiff opposition by UPA constituent Trinamool Congress to FDI in retail and rail fare hike, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said the government will consult allies and take them on board whenever "tough" decisions are taken.
New Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Sunday said his priority will be to improve the financial health of the national transporter and make it a preferred mode of journey in the country.
He noted that the diesel price hike has put an additional burden of Rs 3,300 crore on Railways.
Railway board chairman Vinay Mittal has written to railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, seeking a fare hike to address earning concerns.
Bus services in the city and some districts of West Bengal were hit on Monday as a section of private bus operators began an indefinite strike pressing for increase in fare, a demand rejected by the state government.
Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy was on Tuesday elevated to Cabinet rank to take over as Union railway minister replacing Dinesh Trivedi, who was forced to resign after Congress caved in to Mamata Banerjee's pressure.
Announcing the resignation of Dinesh Trivedi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he regretted the departure of the railway minister who had presented a budget which promised the "vision" outlined by his predecessor Mamata Banerjee.
With the Trinamool Congress turning on the heat on the issue of rail fare hike, the Samajwadi Party on Friday offered solace to the Congress, saying its outside support to the coalition will continue.
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Thursday came in for sharp criticism from his party the Trinamool Congress with a state minister dubbing him a 'traitor'.
A section of auto ickshaws in the metropolis kept off roads to demand a fare hike causing inconvenience to office goers in the morning rush hour on Monday.
Railway passenger fares in all AC classes and first class may rise by 3.6 per cent from July 1 as there are little indications that Finance Ministry would extend service tax exemption to Railways beyond this month.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday said that electronic meters will be installed in auto rickshaws in Mumbai and the neighbouring Thane in a "phased manner".
Despite Indian Railways' dwindling financial health, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Wednesday showed disinclination towards hiking passenger fares. Instead, he advocated measures to attract private investment to tide over the situation.
Brent crude oil price surged 4 per cent on Friday, following tension between Iran and the US. Airlines, however, have been unable to pass on the price increase to customers due to the soft demand.
Observing that freight charges cannot keep subsidising the passenger fare, Trivedi said, "One thing is linked with another and you cannot keep on increasing your freight charges and freight cannot keep on subsidising the fare."
A day after proposing fare hike in the rail budget which has threatened his job, a defiant Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Thursday said he would repeat the same if asked to present the budget again.
With the Budget Session starting on stormy note due to disruptions by Opposition on the issue of price rise and rail fare hike, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the government was ready to discuss all issues including price rise but under appropriate rules.
The ongoing row between the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government and the bureaucracy in wake of the Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleging assault comes as no surprise as the two have tussled over a range of issues in the past.
The recent increase in the prices of CNG has prompted auto and taxi drivers to demand demand hike in fares.
Privatising the railways is not on her agenda. But the minister wants to earn revenue for the government by all means possible, and also do social good. railway Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee talks of her pet public-private partnership and Vision 2020. Edited excerpts:
There was some respite for Mumbaikars when the strike was called off in the evening. However, the prospect of soon having to shell out more for their journey left them anguished.
MMOPL has already taken a decision to extend the fare slab of Rs 10 to Rs 40.
Railways to hive off all production units and workshops into new govt-owned company; may invite bids from private players to run passenger trains in next 15 days, with ownership vesting with the government.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said that the common people have always been the focus of all initiatives by the Indian Railways.
Air fares are set to go up again, with the government announcing an over 18 per cent average increase in the prices of aviation turbine fuel, effective Saturday midnight.
'The recent price hike would only be beneficial if the airlines continue to operate at 80 per cent airline capacity. An increase towards 90 or 100 per cent airline capacity would again add pressure to the fares as demand remains muted. Also, we are in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year which is a seasonally weaker quarter,' says an analyst.
Early reports said over 20,000 buses went off the road after talks initiated by the state government a fortnight back failed to avert the strike.
Air Sahara on Tuesday announced a 10 per cent fare hike with effect from June 21 following an increase in the aviation turbine fuel price.
Air Deccan is going to a lot of sectors where nobody is going, places like Dehra Dun, Belgaum, Hubli and Kolhapur, we are very focused on the other India.
While consumers feel that petrol pinches directly, diesel hurts indirectly, as it is an input in almost all the goods and services we use.
The government has assured bus owners that a decision on fare hike will be taken before September 1.
A proposed 24 percent hike in the salaries of 2.6 million employees and pensioners, will land the railways with a wage bill of about $4.7 billion.
"We have decided not to allow people from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu till May 31, but allowed in stages (staggered manner)," the CM said said.
Analysts expect holiday fares to inch up further closer to the travel dates, but airlines may still not be able to fully recover higher costs as fuel costs remain elevated
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