The Railways, despite severe cash crunch, is continuing to dole out concessions by adding more categories of concessionaires to its already long list. Complimentary card passes will now be issued to sportspersons who are Arjuna awardees valid for travel in the first class/second AC in Rajdhani trains and chair car in Shatabdi trains besides being valid for travel in the first class/second AC in other mail/express trains (except Duronto trains).
Earlier this week, Railways had decided that the civilian recipients of gallantry awards of ‘Chakra’ series will also be provided the first/second class AC complimentary card passes on the lines as admissible to Defence awardees.
Railways lost `1,436 crore in revenue in 2011-12 for allowing free and concessional travel to different category of passengers. This concession that the railways gives to passengers across 50 different categories has choked its profits to quite an extent. The revenue foregone in 2011-12 has increased by a few hundred crores from 2010-11 when the amount stood at `1,190.79 crore.
Free passes, privilege passes and complimentary passes are extended to students, senior citizens, sportsmen, disabled people, patients, doctors, nurses and midwives, artists, farmers and mediapersons.
Bharat Ratna awardees, Shram awardees, widows of military personnel in certain categories, freedom fighters, non-officials members of Railway Hindi Salahkar Samiti, office bearers of Hindi propagation are some categories that get complimentary travel passes.
A parliamentary committee noted how the various Railway projects were moving at an extremely slow pace leading to severe cost escalation. Some projects are going on for the past 15 years with little progress as a result the cost escalation has gone up almost 200 times.