PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Saturday strongly condemned the move to levy user fees at some major railway stations, and called for dropping of the proposal.
In a statement, he said it was an indirect way of increasing the fares and would hurt the poor and middle classes. Mr. Ramadoss said the proposal of the Indian Railways was not acceptable and the idea of levying user fees similar to that in airports was fundamentally flawed. He also noted that air passengers and railway passengers cannot be viewed on a par, as the user profile was different.
Mr. Ramadoss noted that the levy of user fees in Railway stations would only help private companies in earning profits and would go against the welfare of passengers. He also said that while upgrading the quality of stations was a welcome move, the private companies could be allowed to use the space in the stations for commercial purposes and thereby earn returns on their investments, instead of imposing user fees. Even before the stations were upgraded, to levy user fees was injustice, Mr. Ramadoss said.
