Title - RAIL NEWS CENTER: Railways seeks Rs 65,000 crore for safety upgrade

NEW DELHI: The cash-starved railways has made a fresh plea for Rs 65,000 crore from the Centre to fund its safety programme. The move came after repeated requests were turned down by the government which asked the transporter to raise resources through internal measures, including raising passenger fares.

A railway official said the ambitious plan was based on recommendations of the Anil Kakodkar committee on safety. The committee had suggested an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore over five years to meet the safety requirements of the state transporter. "We have written to Planning Commission (for funds)," the official said.