Railway budget ignored Himachal: Dhumal
By IANSFriday, February 25, 2011
SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Friday said the railway budget was disappointing as the interests of the people of Himachal Pradesh were ignored.
The railway budget is disappointing. It is a jugglery of figures where interests of the people of the state and national security have been ignored,” an official statement quoting Dhumal said.
Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled the budget in parliament Friday.
The chief minister said the interests of the state were totally ignored.
The union railways ministers are confined to their home states only and are not bothered about rest of the country, Dhumal said, adding that the state could get only 33 km length of railway line in the past 63 years and that too is only partially electrified.
He said when the country fought war with China in 1962, it was unprepared and inadequately equipped.
Now, when China has strengthened its connectivity through all-weather railway network, air strips and road network on the borders of the country, the railway budget has least priority for railway line up to Leh, which is in the best interest of the country and strategically important.
Himachal Pradesh is pursuing the construction of 460 km Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail line that would provide all-weather connectivity to tribal areas of both Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, that otherwise remain cut off for over eight months a year.
