The Hindu : `Nitish neglected State totally'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 27, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

`Nitish neglected State totally'

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI FEB. 26. The Railways have apparently shown little regard to Kerala with the introduction of just one train to the State out of the 50 new trains announced in the Railway budget today. The new train to Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-Jodhpur Express via Madgaon, will be a weekly one. Except the extensions for three other trains, there is no major benefit for the State. The extended trains are the Hyderabad-Kochi Sabari Express to Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam-Kozhikode Express to Kannur and the Allappuzha-Bokaro Express to Dhanbad. Again, the Sabari Express will be running on three days a week.

The budget proposes doubling of lines stretching 340 km. The proposal includes the Kayamkulam-Cheppad and Kayankulam-Mavelikara lines which are considered small in terms of the length of the lines. Unless the entire line from Kayamkulam to Ernakulam is doubled, it would not serve the purpose, said a Railway official.

Regarding the funds allocated, the official said it was not known yet, but indications were that the ongoing works would have to be completed slowly owing to lack of funds.

Reacting to the budget, the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, E. S. Jose, said the Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, had totally neglected the State. He agreed that the retaining of the freight and passenger fares without any hike was a positive step. The Railways would be able to meet the competition from the other modes of transport, especially through road, due to reduction in freight, he said. The graded concession for all traffic up to 90 km would encourage the use of the facility for short distance transport at a cheaper rate. He said that the reclassification of commodities from 32 to 27, bringing down the surcharge on coal and other commodities and reduction of freight for petroleum products were welcome steps.

The president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Bharat N. Khona, said the budget was disappointing as far as Kerala was concerned. Extension of the Sabari Express and the Ernakulam-Kozhikode Express was the only concession, he said. With regard to electrification and doubling of lines, there was nothing worth mentioning, he said.

The proposals for ensuring safety of the network, security of passengers and punctuality of trains were welcome, he said. That there was no increase in the passenger fares and freight rates is a great relief to the public, especially to the business community, he said.

The Cochin Chamber of Commerce & Industry vice-president, N. R. Pai, expressed disappointment that `Kerala does not figure in the scheme of things' while applauding the Minister for addressing certain core issues.

The Kerala State Consumer Welfare Organisation, in a statement, expressed protest against the neglect meted out to Kerala.

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