Gujarat CM Narendra Modi criticizes railway budget

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today criticized central railway budget 2010-11 and termed it unrealistic and directionless. He said the budget was one more step in series of injustice that Gujarat faces for last some years under UPA rule in centre. Following are major points of Chief Minister’s statement:

-Railway’s share in domestic transport was 24% in 22001-02 which is not 20.89. This means, the railway has lost credibility and road transport which is costlier has increased. This ultimately causes price rise. There should be qualitative reforms and national railway fare and freight inquiry committee for railway infrastructure network, the Chief Minister said.

-Gujarat is nowhere in Railway wagon manfacturing industry, coach factory, rail acedemy, design development centre, wagon repairing, multi training centres etc announcements. Gujarat enjoys 40% area in Delhi-Mumbai frieght corridor, but when it comes to setting up 10 auto-hubs on this line, Gujarat is absent. The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train or fast-track project is absent in the budget announcement.

-In UPA rule even railway ministry has turned to vote bank politics, and sin of religious discrimination. The UPA government is doing politics of appeasement by announcing fee waiver to minority students in railway’s recruitment exams.

-While there are 16 Bharat Teerth trains declared in the budget, only one is related to Gujarat. The centre has not seen any teerth in Gujarat but only Somnath. The people of Gujarat feel that Ahmedabad should become the headquarter of Western Railway but centre has ignored this.

-The railway minister has shown her real face by proposing rail connectivity with Bangladesh. The railway minister must be knowing about increasing rate of population in Bangladesh.

-Last year the minister announced 375 ideal railway stations and 50 multi functional railway stations but baring some ground breaking ceremony rarely any progress has been witnessed so far in this regard. Ahmedabad’s Kalupur railway station was to be made a world class railway station but even after year the project is still on paper. After the announcement of new railway track or railway line it takes 10 years for project survey and planning commission’s approval.

-In 11th five-year-plan the private investment was estimated at around Rs 60,000 crore, however it is now only Rs 395 crore. Contrary to railway minister’s statement that the railway would not be privatized, highest public-private partnership proposals announced fall in Gujarat such as Sutrapada, Dahej, Dholera, Hajira. This means in other parts of India, railway invests for new lines but in Gujarat the railway department proposes partnership of private sector and state government. This discrimination shows clear injustice to Gujarat.

-This railway budget obstructs progress and unrealistic.