Kharge to focus on issues being faced by railways

Assuming charge of the Railway Ministry, Mallikarjun Kharge said he would hold a discussion with officials on issues being faced by the national transporter.

New Delhi: Assuming charge of the Railway Ministry, Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said he would hold a discussion with officials on issues being faced by the national transporter before deciding on priorities.

"I will discuss the issues and then I will have to decide on priorities," Kharge said after assuming charge at Rail Bhawan. Asked about his priorities, he said, "Unless I talk to them (officers) and discuss the issues I will not comment." Kharge, an MP from Gulbarga constituency in Karnataka, is the sixth Railway Minister in the last four years. His immediate predecessor Pawan Kumar Bansal had to quit last month in the wake of cash-for-post scam in railways. Asked about the vacancies in the Railway Board, Kharge said, "All these things are there. I will discuss with them (officers) as to what can be done within a shortspan of time." Though he was given the responsibility of railways day before yesterday, the Karnataka Congress veteran took charge today. Railways have to show some urgency in shortlisting the possible names for the key posts in Railway Board and submit them to the DoPT for consideration. Currently, Member Staff Mahesh Kumar is behind the bars and under suspension as he is accused of bribing Vijay Singla, nephew of former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, for a top post in Railways. Besides, the post of Member Traffic is vacant while Chairman Railway Board Vinay Mittal and Financial Commissioner Vijaykanth are retiring on June 30. Besides filling up vacant posts, he has to decide on the constitution of the long-pending Rail Tariff Authority also. PTI