----------
NOTHING SPECIAL
FOR GOA: CONG
Criticising the budget, Goa Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said, "As always, despite Goa being the key railway hub on Konkan coast, the Railway Minister has ignored its demands and needs yet again, nothing special for Goa."
>> Also see pg 5
----------
PANAJI: Goa doesn’t gain much in Railway minister Suresh Prabhu’s railway budget announced on Thursday except for an announcement that Vasco railway station will be beautified, considering it to be one of the pilgrimage centres of India.
The railway minister said a total 18 railway stations across India would be provided with passenger amenities and beautification.
“The great places of pilgrimage in India have a natural attraction for the Indian traveller. We intend taking up on priority the provision of passenger amenities and beautification on stations at pilgrimage centres including Ajmer, Amritsar, Bihar Sharif, Chengannur, Dwarka, Gaya, Haridwar, Mathura, Nagapattinam, Nanded, Nasik, Pali, Parasnath, Puri, Tirupati, Vailankanni, Varanasi and Vasco. We also intend to run Aastha circuit trains to connect important pilgrim centres,” he said.
The State Congress were quick to criticize the railway budget while BJP and members of trade and industry welcomed it.
Bharatiya Janata Party's South Goa MP Narendra Savoikar called the budget "common man centric".
Meanwhile, the Konkan Railway Corporation has appreciated the gesture of
the Railway Minister in sanctioning projects worth Rs 6256 crore, including laying of a new VaibhavwadiÂKholapur railway line at a cost of Rs 3456 crore.
Addressing the media moments after the presentation of budget, KRC Sr. Public Relations Manager, Baban Ghatge along with Regional Railway Manager, Linga Raju said the long pending dream of connecting the Konkan region by rail to Kholapur will finally come true.
He said that Goa and Margao in particularly may not have received any goodies in the railway budget, but Ghatge reminded that the Railway Minister had given four new trains to Goa last year, including the Rajdhani and double decker though there was no provision made in the budget.
