A budget in reverse gear, says Narendra Modi

GANDHINAGAR: Expressing deep dissatisfaction with the railway budget, chief minister Narendra Modi said, "Instead of providing a helping hand to Gujarat's fast growing economy, the budget seems to have shut down the gates for the state's journey towards development."
Calling it a "reverse gear budget of the last century", Modi further said, "For the first time, the railway minister has recognized that economic disarray has set in, in the Indian railways.He added, "Unfortunately, for the last seven years, people were kept in the dark about the realities of the Indian railways."
Modi characterized as a "sheer bluff" the announcement to set up a railway coach factory in Kutch. "In reality, the plan is to set up a diesel engine spare parts factory in Kutch, though such small auto spare parts companies exist in hundreds in Rajkot", he said.
Modi estimated that by increasing the railway freight by 20 per cent, the people of Gujarat would have to bear an additional burden of Rs 300 crore. "Railway administration is in such a mess that that the government has admitted it cannot complete 487 projects. Given this situation, how can one expect it to fulfill people's expectations?" he asked.
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