Ahmedabad, 14 March, 2012

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that the Railway Budget for 2012-13 appears to be in the reverse gears, which would take the country backwards to the last Century.

Commenting presented by the Congress-led Union Government in Parliament today, he described the budget as absolutely disappointing for a fast developing state like Gujarat. It seems to have closed all gates of development for the state, there being hardly noteworthy announcement for the state.

The Railway Ministers’ announcement about setting up a coach factory in Kutch is in fact eyewash. What the Railways plan is setting up a diesel engine spare parts unit there. Such units in the private sector are already in existence in plenty in and around Rajkot, he said.

Mr. Modi said that it is for the first time the UPA government has admitted that the Railways’ is in a miserably pitiable economic condition, as it continuously kept India in the dark about the deep mess that the network is in, for at least the last seven long years. The Railways is unlikely to complete 487 pending projects, let alone the proposed ones. The government does not seem to have any vision either, for future.

The Chief Minister said that by increasing the freight rates by 20 per cent even before the Budget would put an additional burden of Rs.300-crore annually on the people of Gujarat.

Prime Minsiter’s take on railway budget

The Railway Minister has presented a forward looking Budget with emphasis on safety and modernisation of the Indian Railways. The Budget for 2012-13 has been formulated against the background of Railways’ responsibilities in meeting the demands of the 12th Five Year Plan.