Railway Budget disappointing Telangana: Indrakaran

        The railway minister stated that steps will be taken to expand rail facility to suburban areas of Hyderabad with participation of Telangana Government. Reacting on the rail budget, which is put at Rs 1.21 lakh crore sparing passenger and goods fares, Indrakaran said that it had disappointed Telangana Government as well as its people. Injustice was meted out to Telangana by the Rail Budget as no demands sought by the state government were taken into cognizance, he deplored. “The Union Government has ignored our rail needs as the Rail Budget watered down our hopes,” he said.     

       The Minister’s remarks assume significance as none of the demands of the state government were touched upon in the rail budget presented. It is pertinent note here that the Rail Budget did not mention about the State Government’s insistence on Kazipet Coach Factory in Warangal district and MMTS extension to Yadadri temple in Nalgonda district. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently sought the Centre on the state priorities pertaining to these projects, but it proved in vain. The Centre failed to keep  up its promises with regard to new lines for Peddapalli- Karimngar- Nizamabad; Manoharabad – Kothapalli and Bhadrachalam – Sathupalli. ‘The rail budget left us in desolation’, he regretted. However, he expressed the hope that at least in the supplementary budget, Suresh Prabhu will give nod to the state priorities.