Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik today expressed disappointment over the Railway Budget 2007-08, particularly with regard to what it contained for development of rail infrastructure in the state. |
"It is disappointing from Orissa's point of view. No new rail links has been proposed. Even the allocation to ongoing projects in the state is not satisfactory," he told newsmen. |
The state government in a pre-budget representation to the Railway ministry had demanded Rs 880 crore worth of projects for the state, apart from running of 13 new trains. |
However, the budget has proposed allocation of only Rs 606 crore to various rail works in the state, which is much lower than Rs 654 crore sanctioned by the ministry for various state-based projects in the last fiscal. |
Against a demand of 13 new trains, the budget proposed two new trains, a Garib Rath (train for the poor) between Bhubaneswar and Ranchi (three days a week) and an Express train between Bhubaneswar and Rameswaram (weekly). |
The budget, however, proposed an increase in the frequency of Puri-Ahmedabad Express from three days in a week to four days in a week. |
Patnaik said, he will write to Railway minister soon on the injustice meted out to the state in the budget. |
The Opposition leader and former chief minister JB Patnaik and PCC president Jaydev Jena, however, welcomed the budget saying the allocations have been proposed in the budget for various projects keeping an eye on the overall development of the state. |
The ministry has allocated over Rs 605 crore to the state, Jena pointed out. |
Two former railway ministers from Orissa, KC Lenka and Bhakta Das, who are now in Congress also hailed the budget. |