Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Make realistic provisions: former MP

GUNTUR: The Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has not given sufficient amount of budgetary provision for the Andhra Pradesh region, continuing the trend by all her predecessors, opined former Rajya Sabha member Yelamanchili Sivaji.

After the Bibinagar - Nadikudi line more than three decades ago no new realistic project had come to the State, he pointed out and expressed anguish over the large number of MPs from the State unable to put pressure on the Centre to make better budgetary provisions as far as railway amenities are concerned. The two Ministers of State, who had served in the Railways in the past also could not bring anything tangible in the past, he added.

The survey for new lines was only an eyewash and even the doubling work on the Vijayawada - Guntur section though completed did not get operationalised so far, he observed, reminding people that the project took more than a decade to get sanction. The Guntur - Tenali doubling a short-distance would have helped de-congest the Howrah Chennai main line and provided some additional accessibility to Guntur.

Guntur Railway Division gets only the survey of Vinukonda - Vishnupuram proposed link and the doubling of Bibinagar - Nadikudi line, but the provisions were very meagre, the MP opined.

The Divisional Railway Manager Mohammed Akhtar said that under the Izzat scheme the people would be table to travel at 47 paise per k.m.

Meanwhile, the Peoples’ Watch Forum has hailed the new scheme ‘Izzat’ in the Railway Budget for 2009-10. Under the scheme, a uniformally priced monthly season ticket of Rs. 25 would be available free of all surcharges for travel up to 100 kms for members of the unorganised sector with monthly income not exceeding Rs. 1,500.

The scheme provides an opportunity to the poorest of the poor to travel with dignity, said its convener P.C. Saibabu, but cautioned that misuse should be nipped in the bud.

“The Forum also commends ‘Only Ladies’ EMU train services in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata suburban on the pattern of Mumbai suburban.

Such facility should be extended to Andhra Pradesh also,” he opined.

These services would be very useful for the women in view of the number of acid attacks and atrocities on women.

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