Railway Budget: an all round disappointment - Jaya

Describing the Railway Budget as "an all round disappointment," All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa on Monday said though it attempted to carry forward the "reform agenda" in reality it was only an "euphemism for ignoring the common man." "There is nothing substantial in the budget for the farmers and the poor. The poor have been kept out of this budget," Ms. Jayalalithaa said refuting the claims made by Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad that it was "pro-poor."

Ms. Jayalalithaa said of the 32 new trains announced, the share of Tamil Nadu is only five, which was dismal. Adequate attention had not been paid to the long pending demands of the State such as electrification of lines, doubling of tracks and rail-linked container depots. "It is disappointing that there is no announcement of a dedicated freight corridor for the South. Instead only a pre-feasibility survey has been announced," she said.