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posted by: Kavya Mishra
Last updated: June 10, 2023, at 23:49 IST
These are very important expenses for the safety of the working staff, the sources said. (Representative picture.)
Citing a 2021 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Congress on Friday alleged that the central government “misused” funds for rail safety on crockery, rental cars, furniture, laptops and foot massagers.
Government sources on Saturday denied congressional allegations that funds earmarked for railroad safety were misused for crockery, furniture and foot massagers, and said these were used in rooms for long-hours train drivers.
According to an official document, the national carrier spent more than Rs 1 crore on safety measures between 2017-18 and 2021-22 with steady growth in renewal spending.
Citing a 2021 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Congress on Friday alleged that the central government “misused” funds for rail safety on crockery, rental cars, furniture, laptops and foot massagers.
“This is how funds earmarked specifically for railway safety have been used. Days after a triple train accident at Balasore in Odisha, which claimed 278 lives and injured nearly 1,000, this is it,” said Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Twitter. The conclusion reached by the Governmental Advisory Committee.
Government sources said the materials Congress mentioned were used in the cabins of the local pilots who operated the trains.
“They are the most important elements of safety on the railways. Some spend long hours on trains, sometimes standing … all day. Foot massagers are for them. This is not a luxury item for them but a necessity that keeps them healthy,” one source said.
According to the CAG report, referred to by Congress, Railways spent Rs 1.48 crore on purchase of furniture, utensils, crockery and kitchen/electrical appliances, Rs 0.085 crore on vehicle rental and Rs 4.54 crore on vehicle rental. Street light, pollution control board fees, foot massagers, winter jackets among other things.
The sources said that these are very important expenses for the safety of the working staff.
Shiv Gopal Mishra, Secretary of the Federation of Railways of India said, “Station managers and serving staff are working day and night and it is not fair to politicize things that are bought for use like crockery and foot massagers. Politics in these matters only spoils the image of the railways.”
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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