Mounting an attack on the railway budget for being "West Bengal-centric", opposition today charged railway minister Mamata Banerjee with showering "special affection" on her home state, which is going to assembly polls in two years.
"Mamata gave a lot of mamata (affection) to West Bengal ... She has to fight elections in the state. But she should remember that she is the railway minister not for West Bengal alone but for the entire country," Samajwadi Party member Virendra Bhatia said in the Rajya Sabha.
Participating in the resumed discussion on the railway budget, he said the projects announced by previous ministers should not be shelved.
Citing an example, Bhatia said the proposal for train services to facilitate Vaishnodevi pilgrims, announced during her predecessor Lalu Prasad's tenure, has been shelved. Likewise, construction of two overbridges in Lucknow, which was announced during NDA regime, has been put on the backburner.
Bhatia complained that the quality of food and other passenger amenities has deteriorated. "The beds given on the journey stink, and the blankets carry infections...There are cockroaches and mosquitoes in the first class coaches," he rued.
Tarini Kanta Roy (CPI-M) wanted speedier gauge conversion in North Eastern states. He said the budget has not addressed the issue of contract workers and millions of vendors engaged in the railways.
AIADMK member K Malaisamy said that the proposal for running double decker trains is impractical, and the decision to run non-stop trains is only an idea which will not work.
Member from CPI Syed Azeez Pasha however welcomed the announcement to run Duronto (fast non-stop) trains but regretted that not one of these trains has been given a stoppage at Hyderabad.
He termed it as "gross injustice" to Andhra Pradesh.
Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena), while lauding a number of provisions in the railway budget, wanted an announcement from the railway minister against privatisation.
He also demanded increase in the number of Commandos for Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus station, which was attacked by terrorists in November last year.
BJP member Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said the budget has no space for social viability and lacks any great vision.
Comments