Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

A people-friendly Rly. Budget, says Sedam

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Feb. 26. The Railway Budget has been welcomed by the State unit of the BJP, which has described it as "people-friendly, development-oriented, and one which provides job potential". In a statement, the President of the unit, Basavaraj Patil Sedam, hailed the Budget for the new trains and the extension of the Bangalore-Solapur train to Bijapur, and the Bangalore-Durg train to Bilaspur. Welcoming the sanctioning of Rs. 15 crore and Rs. 10 crore, respectively, for the Gulbarga-Bidar and Solapur-Gadag lines and for gauge conversion, the statement pointed out the need for the State Government to provide its share of funds through the Rural Infrastructure Development Department. The Budget should be welcomed for the reduction in the age limit for fare concession for senior citizens, and for the decision to conduct examinations for recruitment in regional languages. In a separate statement, Mr. Sedam said it was a matter of pride that the portrait of Veer Savarkar was unveiled in Parliament. In a similar statement welcoming the Railway Budget, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, his counterpart in the Legislative Council, D.H. Shankaramurthy, and the BJP deputy leader in the Council, `Mukhyamantri' Chandru, thanked the two Union ministers from the State, Ananth Kumar and Basavanagouda Patil, for the key role they had played in securing benefits for the State.

Many features: GMCI

The Greater Mysore Chamber of Industry has welcomed the Railway Budget-2003, and said it had several features that should be welcomed.

The GMCI President, Harbans Thukral, said on Wednesday that the introduction of a new Salem-Bangalore train, and the provision of Internet services in trains, as part of the Railway's plans for the future, were features of the Budget.

He said the Internet kiosks at the New Delhi Station, which were part of the pilot project, should eventually extended to other States. Mr. Thukral said the State Government needed to move forward with speed and commitment on existing projects for which funds were allocated by the Railways in the previous budgets.

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