The railway budget has failed to meet the expectations of people of Tamil Nadu on the whole, said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
“It is surprising that no specific projects were announced, including several projects in Tamil Nadu, which I had requested,” she said in a statement.
On the creation of “new structures” – a pillar of the budget, it was unfortunate that only a consultation was held with the State governments before finalising the draft MOU, which lacked clarity on a number of key issues.
“The present structure where 75 per cent of the equity and the entire land cost are to be met by the States, with all control with the Ministry of Railways, is simply unacceptable,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said, asking the Ministry to rework the clauses of the MoU.
The upgradation of suburban transit systems in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have been dealt with in great detail. “In the case of Chennai, no specific plans for upgradation by the Indian Railways themselves have been announced, which is a major omission,” she said.
Welcoming the first ever Rail Auto Hub to be set up at Chennai and North – South Dedicated Freight Corridor from Delhi to Chennai, she said the proposed East Coast Corridor terminating in Vijayawada should have been extended to Thoothukudi.
She welcomed the detailed attention to enhance passenger amenities, including issues relating to safety of women, greater access to differently abled and senior citizens.
Ms. Jayalalithaa sounded a word of caution against many of the grievance redressal mechanisms moving exclusively towards the digital platforms.
While appreciating the plan to upgrade stations at Nagapattinam and Velankanni, she said many other important pilgrim centres like Srirangam and Rameswaram should also be taken up.
The Chief Minister said she would have been happy to hear a specific update on the Diamond Quadrilateral High Speed rail corridors which were announced with considerable fanfare in last year’s budget.
She hoped that the double lining of the entire stretch from Villupuram to Kanniyakumari would be completed speedily and the State governments “genuinely consulted” during the formulation of a National Railway Plan so that all parts of the country can fully benefit from the Indian Railways, which was truly the backbone of India.