Railways need a facelift

This refers to “Rly station development goes the designer way” (March 21). The railways are basically running on the government subsidy and are a loss making organisation on its own. Nevertheless, it provides adequate connectivity catering to a vast geographical area. Most of our railway stations totally lack ambience — a specific necessity to attract business. Hence, a long term capital investment is essential to provide an adequate facelift. Also, revenue inflow will increase significantly if the rent is generated by constructing commercial and residential complexes on unutilised and underutilized land. This will not only reduce the pressure on land caused by a growing population but also promote lucrative real estate activity generating higher rent. This holds true for areas that are strategically located for residential and commercial purposes. The economic activities can thus be interlinked to ensure optimum connectivity of all existing resources. The handing over of such projects to infrastructure companies to raise funds from the capital market and function independently will also ensure efficient management both technically and financially. Government protection should therefore only be symbolical and a psychological protection to ensure efficient implementation of its policy.

C Gopinath Nair Kochi