Chhattisgarh again cheated by Railways

     Raipur, February 13, 2009: Rail Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav today again cheated Chhattisgarh by ignoring all its prominent demands.

     In the interim budget for the next fiscal, the Union Minister today proposed two new weekly trains, Bilaspur-Thirunelveli Express via Thiruvananthapuram and Durg-Jaipur Express and increased the frequencies of Nizamuddin-Durg Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti from twice a week to thrice a week.

     However, it was silent on the long standing issues of the underdeveloped state, including strengthening the Bilaspur Railway Recruitment Board, its plan for new capital city, Dalhi Rajhara Railway line and many others, including connecting Bastar region with rest of the state.

     On the income part, the South East Central Railway, having headquarters at Bilaspur, had been contributed about 15 per cent of the total revenue of the Railways, but on expenditure side it was too less.

     It’s a gross neglect to the state by the Congress led government at the Centre, commented Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh.

     However, the Leader of Opposition Ravindra Choubey expressed his satisfaction for giving two new trains and increasing the frequency of a train and said Centre had taken care of all sections of the society in the Railway budget.

     Meanwhile, officials in the South East Central Railways told ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com it was untrue that the state had been neglected by the Railway Board as after its inception in 2003, as many as 33 pairs of new trains had been introduced and a third line from Jharsuguda to Nagpur via Raipur is under progress.