UCPMA disappointed with rail budget

Ludhiana, February 26, 2013: The railways budget announced by the Railway Minister Pawan Bansal today shows the increase in the railway freight to the tune of 5% has been considered to be very discouraging for the industry, said the UCPMA president Gurmeet Singh Kular and other office bearers.

At a meeting here today, they said the industry was expecting some concession like decrease in the railway freight or totally abolished but it has brought discontentment among the industry specially cycle and cycle parts who send their product to other state with the result the price of cycle will go up and poor man will not be able to bear this increase.

They observed that the cycle industry has already requested the Railway Minister to start a nonstop Shatabdi Express from Ludhiana to Delhi as there is no air connectivity facility is available but instead of the assurance given him, it has not been done. With the result, the congestion of the passengers at main railway station will remain the same.

The increase in the freight will not only effect the industry but also to the public as they will have to pay more price for the purchase of cycle and cycle parts who are far of the Punjab, they felt.

In order to give some relief to the industry they again requested the Minister to exceed to their request already submitted to him so that the industry may not suffer.