Nitish pokes fun at Bansal; asks if rail projects will use MNREGA fund
28 Feb 2013 4:26 AM IST
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has said the railway budget is unique in the sense the railways will now seek support of the state governments for even building foot over-bridges. What is more, the budget now wants to complete railway projects with MNREGA fund, mocked Nitish while reacting to the railway budget.
‘Well the railway minister talked about the PPP mode but it is for the first time I heard the minister seeking support of the state governments for railway projects, even for building foot over-bridges. It is also interesting how the railways will use MNREGA for completing its projects,’ reacted Kumar.
While it was being claimed that the railways was in surplus, it strangely cut down the project targets meant for 2012-13. ‘If the railways is in surplus, why then has it downgraded its targets say of doubling of line or new railway tracks or for that matter gauge conversion or whatever target it had set for the year. The fact is the railways did not spend the money so it has to be in surplus. This is financial mismanagement,’ Nitish said. He added that the surplus should have been spent on completing the ongoing projects.
‘The Rail Budget for 2013-14 is disappointing,’ Kumar, who served as Railway Minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told reporters. 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 on Tuesday.
‘Well the railway minister talked about the PPP mode but it is for the first time I heard the minister seeking support of the state governments for railway projects, even for building foot over-bridges. It is also interesting how the railways will use MNREGA for completing its projects,’ reacted Kumar.
While it was being claimed that the railways was in surplus, it strangely cut down the project targets meant for 2012-13. ‘If the railways is in surplus, why then has it downgraded its targets say of doubling of line or new railway tracks or for that matter gauge conversion or whatever target it had set for the year. The fact is the railways did not spend the money so it has to be in surplus. This is financial mismanagement,’ Nitish said. He added that the surplus should have been spent on completing the ongoing projects.
‘The Rail Budget for 2013-14 is disappointing,’ Kumar, who served as Railway Minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told reporters. 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 on Tuesday.
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