New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while addressing the Lok Sabha on Thursday, criticised the Opposition for their handling of Railway safety and infrastructure during their tenure.

The minister's comments came amid heated parliamentary debates, with the Opposition shouting slogans against him.

Vaishnaw questioned why the Congress, during its 58 years in power, failed to implement the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.

He stated, "Those who are shouting here must be asked why they were not able to install ATP in their 58 years of being in power. Today, they dare to raise questions. First, look into what you did during your tenure."

He recalled that when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister, even a minor decline in accident rates was lauded.

"When Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister, she used to give the accident numbers. When the numbers used to fall from 0.24 to 0.19, these people used to clap in the House, and today, when it has decreased from 0.19 to 0.03, they make such accusations. Will this country run in this way?" he questioned, highlighting the significant reduction in accident rates under the NDA’s rule.

Vaishnaw also criticised the UPA government for inadequate Railway recruitment.

He noted that between 2004 and 2014, only 4,11,000 employees were recruited, while under the NDA government, from 2014 to 2024, recruitment numbers reached 5,02,000.

He mentioned that an annual calendar was launched in January for Railway recruitments and vacancies now come out on a quarterly basis.

He also mentioned that there were currently 40,565 vacancies to be filled.

"I would also like to say that the Congress, with the help of its troll army on social media, raises false issues by turning small things into big ones," the Railway Minister said, recalling a small damage at the Ayodhya Railway Station, which he claimed, "Congress turned into a big one."

"Are they trying to infuse fear into the hearts of those two crore people who travel every day by Indian Railways?" he questioned.

Taking a swipe at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's social media reel about loco pilots, Vaishnaw said, "We are not the ones who make reels, but we work hard, unlike you people who make reels just to show off."

He mentioned that the average working and rest times of loco pilots, which were earlier decided by the rule formulated in 2005, were revised by amending the rule in 2016 when they were given more facilities.

The Railway Minister highlighted the upgrades made for loco pilots, including air-conditioned running rooms and loco cabs, and asserted that the previous administration had made no such provisions.

He assured that the production of approximately 2,500 new general coaches was underway to meet the increasing demand and the 10,000 target would soon be reached.

He added that there would be a minimum of four general coaches in each mail and express train in the future composition of train coaches and the standard ratio of non-AC to AC coaches, that is two-thirds non-AC and one-third AC, would be maintained.

(IANS)