Her assurance that there would be no privatization of the Railways is reassuring while her call for private participation in funding Railway projects is realistic. She has done her best to bring the Railways down to the common man in the villages. The slew of new trains, larger outlay for improved passenger amenities and the initiative to set up water bottling plants to ensure availability of cheap drinking water during train journeys are bound to be appreciated by the masses.

From Tamil Nadu’s point of view, the Railway budget is a mixed bag. The plan to modernize the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and to launch a 2^nd Unit are really welcome. We are happy that the Union Railway Minister Ms.Mamata Banerjee has taken note of the AIADMK’s request with regard to doubling of tracks, better outlay for the MRTS in Chennai, electrification and gauge conversion and included them in her budget presentation. However, sanction for a Coastal Railway Line between Chennai and Puducherry via Mamallapuram would have been greatly appreciated by the people of Tamil Nadu. 

The announcement that aspirants taking the Railway Service Commission examinations can do so in regional languages as well would be a great boost to the depressed classes. However, by limiting the regional languages to Hindi and Urdu she has done a disservice to other languages, particularly Tamil.

In a nutshell, Ms.Mamata Banerjee’s Railway budget 2010 is like the proverbial Curate’s egg. Good in parts. Bad in parts.

J JAYALALITHAA