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Rail budget populist: GCCI Wednesday, February 28, 2001

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has termed the rail budget proposals people-centric and society-centric, lacking in ingredients that would give an impetus to railway growth.

In a press release on Monday, the GCCI said despite making provision for substantial development and modernisation of the Railways, the ministry had not increased fare and had resorted to only a moderate hike in freight rates - ranging between two to three per cent - on most goods except essential commodities and urea.

The initiative to resort to austerity measures to whip up Rs 850 crore in savings in the current financial year and the proposal to save Rs 865 crore in 2001-02 has been welcomed. It said that it should be continued in successive years too.

The two per cent increase in freight rate of coal, iron and steel and three per cent of other commodities excluding essential commodities and urea, have also been welcomed. Nonetheless, it said this coupled with imposition of one per cent congestion surcharge would be inflationary. Increase in the freight rate of coal would result in hike in electricity charges in Gujarat, as coal has to be transported from Bengal and Bihar.

The chamber has also appreciated the introduction of new trains between Indore and Gandhinagar via Ahmedabad.

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