Railway expansion to benefit all states,says Mamata

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said new trains would connect several states and cities rather than limiting benefits to just one state.

Rubbishing the Opposition charge that the Railway Budget had excessive focus on West Bengal,Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said new trains would connect several states and cities rather than limiting benefits to just one state.

“Don’t I like Dehradun,or Nainital in Uttarakhand,Ranchi,Bundelkhand,Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat….,” she asked winding up the three-day debate on the Railway Budget that was presented to Parliament on July 3 without proposing any hike in passenger fares or freight charges.

“The expectation level is too high,” she said. Responding to the charges that West Bengal got excessive focus in terms of new railway lines and projects,Banerjee said in any case the expansion cannot be limited to one city or state.

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“If a train is introduced between Mumbai and Chennai,both the cities get connected,not one,” she said. Out of 309 stations proposed to be developed as model,at least 142 are in West Bengal. Besides,the state would get 1000 MW railway power plant in Purulia district as also a new coach factory at Kanchrapara complex. Several new trains have been introduced in the state,where assembly elections are due in 2011.

Admitting that the quality of passenger amenities like onboard food service and drinking water at stations has deteriorated,she said outsourcing of catering would be stopped in the Rajdhani and Shatabadi trains.