Discrimination against the border state of Punjab could be gauged from the fact that not only it was denied inclusion in the proposed Industrial Corridor but even the Freight Corridor was not extended to Amritsar.
Accusing the UPA of not laying a single track in Punjab in the last four years, Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu today demanded appropriate allocations for the border state in the rail budget this time and announcement of a superfast train between his constituency and Mumbai.
"In the last four years, not even a single new track was laid in Punjab with the result that even the state capital is not having any rail link with most of the districts," Sidhu said here and demanded that a new Rajdhani type train between Amritsar to Mumbai be announced in the upcoming budget.
Accusing the Centre of ignoring the interests of the state, the cricketer-turned-politician said he had sent proposals for laying tracks between Kadian to Beas and Makhu to Ferozepur to the railway ministry, but both the proposals were rejected on the plea that they would not be profitable for the railways.
"Railway is not a private company which should eye profit alone. It should give precedence to social viability over economic," he said.
Discrimination against the border state of Punjab could be gauged from the fact that not only it was denied inclusion in the proposed Industrial Corridor but even the Freight Corridor was not extended to Amritsar, where Integrated Check Post was being constructed to upgrade bilateral trade with Pakistan, Sidhu said.
"What will be the benefit of Integrated Check Post, if there will not be any dedicated freight corridor to link it," he quipped.
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