PM stresses on need for revenue generation through other sources
SURAJKUND (FARIDABAD): The three-day long ‘rail vikas shivir’ ended here on Sunday with Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi stressing on the need for using best technology to extend world-class facilities to the railway passengers.
As over 115 persons were killed in the rail accident in Kanpur on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi, railway minister Suresh Prabhu and officers drawn from different parts of the country paid respects to the departed souls by observing twominute silence.
The PM, whose chopper landed at Surajkund around 10.23 am, was received at the helipad by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal, rail minister Suresh Prabhu and senior district officers.
Modi visited exhibition of different new projects, which the railways have either started at some stations as a pilot project or are in the process of being implemented.
“Modi visited almost all the stalls where models of these projects were displayed,” said a senior railway officer.
“A sleeper-class bogey displayed with modern facilities — LED lights, bed rolls, modified seat number displays and comfortable seats drew attention of Modi who appreciated the design,” an officer said.
The officials said on October 20, a similar type of idea generation programme was held in Guwahati, Assam, which was named as ‘junior rail shivir’.
“Whatever ideas we generated from that shivir were taken up at Surajkund and we are happy that different teams working on such ideas presented them before the PM who liked almost all of them and gave a go ahead to work on them at the earliest,” an officer said.
“Modi laid thrust on focusing on generating more revenue from other sources like advertising at platforms through smart screens,” the officials said.