Hyderabad, July 04: The State Congress Committee (PCC) has expressed dissatisfaction at the railway budget presented by Union minister Mamata Banerjee today, saying no new railway lines were sanctioned for the State.
Talking to Express, PCC spokesperson B Kamalakar Rao said the State Government, along with the MPs representating Andhra Pradesh, should exert pressure on the Centre to render justice to the State. The budget had no mention of longpending projects like the Peddapalli-Nizamabad and Manoharabad-Kottapalli lines in Telangana. This time people and the State Congress had expected more from the railway budget as Andhra Pradesh sent as many as 33 Congress MPs helping formation of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.
Terming it as `aam aadmi’ budget, he hoped that the State would get better priority in the next year’s budget.
Former minister T Jeevan Reddy suggested that all MPs from the State meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to plead the State’s cause. Injustice was meted to the State in this year’s railway budget also, he remarked.
Another spokesperson of the party, N Thulasi Reddy, described it as `Ugadi pachhadi’ for the State. Except for three new railway lines and double-lining works, benefits to the State were not in accordance with the people and government’s expectations.
There was some dissatisfaction as far as AP was concerned.
However, there was a need to appreciate the Centre as there was no hike in railway freight rates and passenger fares in the last six years, he added.
–Agencies–