Naik flays rail budget

Mumbai, Feb 25 (PTI) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee hasgiven step-motherly treatment to Mumbai in the budgetpresented today, former Minister of State for Railways RamNaik alleged.

"Mamata has not said a single word about when the MUTP -I Project, the lifeline for 70 lakh suburban commuters ofMumbai will be completed.

"She has also not mentioned anything about the time-tableof MUTP-II in her budget speech," Naik said here.

Commuters were expecting that she will declare the dateof commencement of Western Railway''s Virar-Dahanu suburbantrains. This expectation has not been fulfilled. She has alsonot given the revised timetable for making all the suburbantrains with 12 coaches under MUTP-I, the BJP leader said.

"No direction is given in this budget to bring thederailed finances of Railways on the track. That is why,though numbers of projects are declared, when and how theywill be completed remains a big question," he added.