Rising Kashmir News:

Rising Kashmir News:
Srinagar: Member Parliament and President Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee Prof Saifuddin Soz has criticized the railway budget in Rajya Sabha today saying it has increased passenger fare by 14 per cent and freight charges by 7 per cent just a week before the Parliament was to be in Session.
Soz also opposed raising any money from public private partnership and through FDI.

“This goal will never be achieved; infrastructure for Railways can never by safeguard through FDI and Public private Partnership. This is why all Railways Unions oppose FDI as India’s strategic interests will be unsafe.”
Soz said BJP Government could have safeguarded the interests of the Corporate Sector and in the Railway Budget the Railway Minister has responded to the needs of Crorepatis.
“It can be imagined by providing bullet train between Ahamdabad and Mumbai i.e 500 Kms which means 1.20 crores for one KM.  Now the question is wherefrom the Railways will get 60,000 cores for this project.  Is this not a luxury that crores of people in India live below poverty and the accidents occur daily on unmanned railway crossings? Railway has no money for providing manned crossings and here they want to spend 60,000 for crorepatis who will travel in Bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmadabad.
Soz said this government has not intentions  to do anything substantial for J&K State.
“Modi inaugurated the Railway line from Udhampur to Katra recently. He did not realize that he should thank UPA for completing that stretch. In fact this line was to be inaugurated by the earlier Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and at the last minute he was told that this cannot be done due to some difficulty in this section.”
He said Modi inaugurated this and his speech indicated as if he was going to provide Rail Development to J&K State.
“UPA II has even provided money for the track between Katra and Banihal. What this government can do is to give impetus to Railway Department to complete the Railwlay line between Katra  and Banihal  and put Kashmir on the Railway  Map of India.”
He asked the Railway Minister to complete the surveys for construction of railway line between Jammu Poonch, between Jammu and Doda, between Baramulla and Uri and between Baramulla and Kupwara. It will then be a celebration, unless the railway minister takes the business seriously  nothing substantial can be achieved.