THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The neglect towards the state in the Railway Budget has led to widespread resentment in the state. The state had to contend with three trains and the budget and totally ignored the development needs of the state. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who had personally appraised the state’s needs to Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on two occasions opined that the budget didn’t rise to the expectations. Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan said that the neglect was the worst-ever in the recent times. He alleged that the budget has made a mockery of the state.‘’No funds has been allotted to the coach factory in Palakkad and wagon factory. Except a weekly express train the state has nothing to cheer,’’ he said.‘’The fare hike is a further burden to the people already suffering from the ill-effects of recession and price rise,’’ said CPI state secretary C K Chandrappan. He also said that the Union Ministers from the state should feel ashamed in the neglect meted out to the state.Various passengers associations in the state have come out against the neglect towards the state in the budget. The Southern Railway Passengers Association said the budget didn’t even consider the modest demands of the state like increasing the number of general compartments on express trains from four to six. ‘’Though a fare hike of around 25 per cent was announced, the state was not sanctioned a single development project,’’ said Sajeev Parasuvila, president of SRPA.
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