Railway Budget does not address infrastructure: Jaya
By chennaivision at 3 July, 2009, 6:16 pm
Chennai, Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today said the Railway Budget presented by Mamata Banerjee ‘’superficially gave an impression of being pro-people”, but paid no attention to infrastructure development and expansion plans.
Accusing Ms Banerjee of earmarking all major projects for West Bengal with an eye on vote bank, the AIADMK leader, said South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, had not figured in the sceheme of things at all.
”In a nutshell, the Union Railway Minister has merely weilded a magical brush that gives a non-existent gloss to harsh realities. A lot more was definitely expected from Ms Mamata Banerjee,” she said.
The fact there was no increase in passenger and freight rates in these hard times was indeed welcome, but in the process, infrastructure development and expansion of the world’s largest railway network appeared to have been side-lined, she added.
Ms Jayalalithaa, however, welcomed announcements relating to better passenger amenities, enhanced security, concern for passenger health during travel, stations with better facilities, better catering facilities and a couple of cosmetic schemes for women, the economically weaker sections and students.
However, in the absence of substantial investment for infrastructure development and expansion of railway network, these announcements ”will be largely decorative and lacking in long-term perpective,” she said.
Ms Jayalalithaa said integrating Information Technology with fast track operations of the Railways to improve efficiency, total digitalisation of signalling systems, elimination of accident-prone level crossings, construction of high speed density routes, setting up new freight corridors, introduction of high-speed bullet trains between key metros and setting up of research facilities for low-cost innovative technology development were some of the pioneering initiatives that should have found a place in the budget.
”Ms Banerjee’s presentation was more in the feel good vein and did not deal with hard numbers, making one wonder whether the positive picture of a profit making railway set-up painted by the UPA government during the Lalu Prasad era was only a mirage and whether a cover-up operation is now under way,” she alleged.
The AIADMK veteran also alleged that the Railway Minister’s focus appears to be on her vote bank. ”Almost all the major projects announced by her are earmarked for places like Lalgarh, Nandigram and Singur in West Bengal,” she charged.
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