Dinesh doles out mixed bag for Jharkhand

Ranchi: The maiden budget of railway minister Dinesh Trivedi is a mixed bag of fulfilled aspirations and disappointments for residents of Jharkhand.
The Santhal Pargana region, which was waiting for rail connectivity for decades, finally got an express train from Ranchi to Dumka via Deoghar. However, the state capital did not get a single long distance train despite personal request by the chief minister and his deputy to Trivedi.The demand for increasing frequency of Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, which has been pending for more than a decade, was also ignored.
The state has got some consolation with the minister including two stations - Daltonganj and Garhwa Road - in the list "Adarsh" stations and six rail projects including Rampurhat-Mandarhill via Dumka.
People of Santhal Pargana, including deputy chief minister Hemant Soren, are happy with the rail budget as there will now be a direct train from Ranchi to Dumka via Deoghar after years of wait.
"I am happy that the minister has given a daily Ranchi-Dumka intercity express and fulfilled the aspiration of the people of Santhal Pargana. Every individual of Santhal Pargana is grateful to the minister. We have already started the work for an international airport at Deoghar and hope that now the region will move fast on the road of development," an elated Soren said in his initial reaction on the railway budget. Soren had met the railway minister at Delhi on February 28 and requested him for a direct train between Dumka and Ranchi. Deoghar, one of the biggest pilgrimage spots in the country, attracts at last 15 lakh visitors every year.
President of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries FJ Sajjan Saraf was furious at the railway minister's apathy towards the sentiment and requirement of people of the state that contributes maximum revenue to the railways. "The two railway divisions of Jharkhand, Dhanbad and Chakradhapur, are the two highest revenue generating divisions and yet the minister has cheated us by offering a lollipop. We condemn him for his double standards and not giving a single long-distance train from Ranchi," Saraf said adding that the two intercity express trains Dumka-Ranchi and Barbil-Chakradharpur are just like a drop in a ocean.
Saraf said all the MPs from Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha should immediately meet the railway minister and create pressure on him to concede to the demands of the state. "The MPs should create pressure for increasing frequency of Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and introduce Duronto Express from Ranchi," he added.
Ashish Prasad, a middle-level executive in the pharmacy company who travels extensively, was not much critical on fare hike but definitely demanded improvement of facilities in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. "I am sure that even after increasing the fare, the services will not improve and cockroaches and rats will continue to have a 'safe house' in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains," said Prasad.
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