Rail Budget killed projects in West Bengal: Saugata Roy

NEW DELHI: Criticizing the railway budget presented by Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress accused the railway minister of ignoring all projects initiated by his predecessors (read Mamata Banerjee, Dinesh Trivedi and Mukul Roy).
Speaking to media after Bansal presented his first rail budget, senior Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said: "The budget is anti-people, anti-poor and directionless.The only issue on which the budget has followed any direction was to ensure that all projects started by the Trinamool ministers get killed."
In same breath, Roy added: "This government will not come back to office and the regional parties will have a much greater say in the next government that comes in."
Roy rattled off a whole list of railway projects initiated by Mamata Banerjee in Bengal that have taken a hit in Tuesday's budget. He referred to the Metro railway connectivity from Dum Dum Airport to New Garia, Joka and Barasat to drive home his argument.
When Bansal was reading out the budget, Trinamool members had trooped into the Well of Lok Sabha as the railway minister referred to his "learned predecessors" - hinting at former railway ministers Dinesh Trivedi and Mukul Roy, who had floated the idea of segregating fuel component from passenger and freight tariff - twice.
Later in the day, Bansal said he was surprised by Trinamool's allegation that Bengal has been neglected in the rail budget. "I have given 14 new trains to the state. I am surprised that they (Trinamool leaders) are saying West Bengal has been neglected... Trinamool Congress has presented the rail budget in the past. They should know better," Bansal told reporters after presenting the budget in Parliament.
"Trinamool's criticism is not justified. They did not listen to my speech," he countered. Giving details of projects given to Bengal in the budget, Bansal argued that funds have been allotted for the East-West Metro Corridor in Kolkata, seven new trains have been introduced, seven trains been extended and frequencies of two trains have been increased.
Budget 2013
Rail Budget 2013
Economic Survey 2013