Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today described the Rail Budget as "disappointing" and alleged that while Congress ruled states were given sops, other states including Bihar have been neglected.
"The Rail Budget for 2013-14 is disappointing," Nitish, who served as Railway Minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told reporters in Patna.
He accused the UPA II government of "lacking courage" and resorting to "cleverness" by increasing fares in the month of January itself and not announcing any hike in the budget presented in Parliament today.
"On the one hand the government is claiming it did not raise fare but on the other hand other charges of tatkal and cancellation etc have been increased which will adversely hit the passengers," he said.
"No new train has been given to Bihar despite the fact that it has maximum number of train travellers in the country.
Besides, fund for past projects like rail bridge over Ganga at Patna and Munger has also not been allocated," he said.
In a veiled attack on his rival Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish said "the condition of Railways started deteriorating since days of UPA I (when Prasad was Railways Minister) and the speed has increased with passing of times."
Taking a potshot at the current Railways Minister for announcing search of new technology to stop collision of trains, Nitish sought to know why anti-collision devices developed by the Konkan Railways, which he had introduced during his time in NF Railways and which yielded good results, was stopped.
Nitish also criticised the announcement of new projects without proper arrangements for gathering funds and taking other clearances. "The NDA government had stopped this practise (announcing projects without required clearances) but it's been resumed again now, which is unfortunate," he added.
"The Rail Budget for 2013-14 is disappointing," Nitish, who served as Railway Minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told reporters in Patna.
He accused the UPA II government of "lacking courage" and resorting to "cleverness" by increasing fares in the month of January itself and not announcing any hike in the budget presented in Parliament today.
"No new train has been given to Bihar despite the fact that it has maximum number of train travellers in the country.
Advertisement
In a veiled attack on his rival Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish said "the condition of Railways started deteriorating since days of UPA I (when Prasad was Railways Minister) and the speed has increased with passing of times."
Advertisement
Nitish also criticised the announcement of new projects without proper arrangements for gathering funds and taking other clearances. "The NDA government had stopped this practise (announcing projects without required clearances) but it's been resumed again now, which is unfortunate," he added.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"Fear Of Nitish Kumar On BJP Government Is Such...": Prashant Kishor Prashant Kishor's "Wasted Opportunities" Swipe At Nitish Kumar Supreme Court Refuses To Pause Ruling That Struck Down 65% Quota In Bihar Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan 3 Days After Big Order On Deposits With SBI And PNB, Karnataka Hits Pause "Far From Over" But Joe Biden Has High Hopes For Gaza Ceasefire Indian Student In UK Develops Revolutionary Carbon-Extracting Biomaterial Video: Woman Tries To Jump Off Mumbai's Atal Setu, Saved By Driver, Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.