Chennai: Tamil Nadu and Southern Railway got peanuts from the Union budget on Thursday. "Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in paying GST and has the second largest GST database, but there is no state Centric allocation. We pay a lot of tax to the Centre but end without funds for the much-needed Chennai metro rail and the proposed AIIMS in TN, said a highly placed official at the secretariat.
The Centre has given impetus to boost the Mumbai and Bengaluru transport system by announcing funds up to Rs 27,000 crore but at the same time there is no reference about the southern railway that benefits three southern states.
Chennai metro rail has been pleading with the Centre to extend phase II of the delayed project, the official said. The only respite is that the farmers in TN will get the Central assistance schemes and the kisan credit card systems. The announcements related to the new coach factory at ICF Perambur and the establishment of an indigenous 5G test bed at IIT, Chennai is just a regular expansion programme, the official rued.
Terming the budget a big failure for the common man and the railway passengers, former railway minister A.K. Moorthy said that there was no clarity in the budget.
Finance minister has spoken about laying of new tracks but he has not clarified which state will get what.
Further there is no announcement on new trains and schemes that helps 2.5 crore daily rail passengers.
Meanwhile Southern Railway headquarters which used to celebrate railway budgets in the past by organising conferences, press meets remained quiet throughout the day and a press release compiled by the Press Information Bureau was re-released to remind that the union budget also had a few schemes for the Indian Railways.
"There is nothing for the common man and the railway passengers in this budget. To announce such minor schemes railway board will do a better job, why involve a finance minister?" asked a chief travel ticket examiner attached to Southern Railway Employees Sangh.
