There were no welcome measures in the railway budget, said Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (Maditssia) president V.S. Manimaran here on Tuesday.
He said that the announcements would in no way help the southern districts in a big way. Supplementary charges for superfast trains, reservation fee, ticket cancellation charges and tatkal charges had been increased. However, announcement of extension of timing for online ticketing and SMS alerts to passengers, were welcome, he said in a release.
There were many good aspects in the rail budget, said Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association joint secretary G. Paulraj.
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The long-term demand for maintaining sanitary condition of coaches and railway stations had been fulfilled in the budget. Though the Minister had not announced hike in passenger fare, freight fare had been raised by five per cent. Transport operators who depend on railways would be affected. The Railway Minister should allocate more funds for surveying the feasibility of laying double tracks between Madurai and Tirunelveli, he said.