Mumbai: Railway passenger associations in Mumbai expressed anger and disappointment at the rail budget presented in parliament Tuesday.
"They are not doing us a favour by not increasing fares as they already did it in January. They anyway increased reservation, cancellation and `tatkal` charges. Also, promises of more trains seems vague," said Shailendra Garg, president, Western Railway Passenger Traffic and Relief Association.
Madhu Kotian, president, Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh, said the budget was not only disappointing but also useless for the millions of suburban train commuters.
He said that even though 67 new trains were announced for Maharashtra, there was no clarity on the implementation of the proposal.
"They have neither been able to announce satisfactory service for Maharashtra nor any other state. Besides, promises made in last year`s budget are still pending," Kotian said.
Subhash Gupta, president, Mumbai Yatri Sangh, said the rail budget was an eyewash.
"The budget has only promises. It does not reflect work undertaken in the past few years. Promises about connecting Navi Mumbai to the rest of the country remains unfulfilled," he said. "Also, AC coaches in suburban trains seems a distant dream."
IANS
