Piyush Goyal, while defending the plan to run private sector trains on railway tracks argued, “The government also builds roads, do only government vehicles run on it?”
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday clarified that the govt considers railway is the property of India and it will never be privatized. He also said that the passengers should get good facilities, the economy will be strengthened through the railways. Goyal said that private sector investment for such works will be in the national interest. Piyush Goyal, while defending the plan to run private sector trains on railway tracks argued, “The government also builds roads, do only government vehicles run on it?”
Responding to the discussion in Lok Sabha on the demands for grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for the year 2021-22, Piyush Goyal said, “The unfortunate situation is that many MPs accuse privatization and corporatization. Indian Railways will never be privatized. I assure you that railways are the property of India, it will never be privatized.”
It is worth noting that during the discussion on Monday, some other members including Congress’s Jasbir Singh Gill, ET Mohammed Bashir of IUML had made comments about attempting to privatize the railway. The railway minister said that the roads have also been built by the government, so does anyone say that only government vehicles will run on it. He said that all kinds of vehicles ply on the roads, then progress is made and only then everyone will get facilities. Goyal asked, “Should it not happen in the railways? Should not the passengers get good facilities?”
He said that freight trains should be run and if the private sector invests in this, it should be considered. He said, “If we want to build state-of-the-art railways, a lot of money will be required.”
Piyush Goyal said that plans have been made for Amritsar railway station with an investment of Rs 230 crore. A model design of 50 such stations has been prepared. He said that extensive investment is being made for the beautification and modernization of the New Delhi railway station.
The Railway Minister said, “Even if private investment comes, it is in the interest of the passengers, in the interest of the passengers. The services that the private sector will provide will be available to Indian citizens. He said, “Only when the government and the private sector work together, only then will we be able to create a bright future for the country.”
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