Rs. 50 cr. loss to Railways: Rajagopal

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, FEB. 1. The Union Minister of State for Railways, Mr. O. Rajagopal, has said that the Gujarat earthquake has caused a loss of about Rs. 50 crores to the Railways.

Some 100 railway stations and 36 rail bridges were damaged and eight Railway employees lost their lives, Mr. Rajagopal told a news conference here on Thursday. However, because of the emergency repair and rebuild operation, the rail system was now almost back to normality in the quake-hit areas, he said. Giving an idea of the kind of damage and loss of lives in Gujarat, Mr. Rajagopal, who had visited the quake-hit areas, said of the six taluk tahsildars of Bhuj district, four died in the disaster.

Referring to the possibility of a train fare hike to raise funds for rebuilding the quake-hit territory, Mr. Rajagopal said only the Railway Budget, expected later this month, would give the actual picture.

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