Arunachal RJD appreciates Lalu's rail budget

Itanagar,Feb 28 (UNI) The Arunachal Pradesh unit of RJD today lauded the budget announced by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad saying it will bring ''rail wheels to the poor man's doorstep''.

Praising the introduction of railway lines to new destinations, the five per cent reduction of freight charges and the monthly card system for students, the party termed Mr Prasad as ''garibon ka saccha mitra (true friend of the poor)''.

It also appreciated the creation of Non-Lapsable North East Railway Development Fund with a budgetary provision of Rs 1712 crore for several projects including Bogibeel, rail-cum-road bridge, and the Rangia-Murkongselek gauge conversion.

The party members said such a policy adopted by the minister indicated that the Centre was concerned over the development of North East states, which were still lagging far behind in comparison to other states of the country infrastructurally.

The party, meanwhile, expressed hope that if the proposals taken up by its state president Lijum Ronya to connect Silapathar to Siji via Likabali (40 km), Murkongselek to Pasighat (35 km) and Harmutty to Itanagar via Doimukh and Naharlagun (26 km) were materialised, it would change the socio-economic and infrastructure facet on the state.

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