From Rs 100 crore to just Rs 1,000: How Railway allocation to TN was slashed

CHENNAI: It appears the words Tamil Nadu and Thirukkural were not the only aspects missing in the Union Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Pink Book, an annual detailed programme published by Railway Board for works, machinery and rolling stock programmes undertaken in railways, has revealed that even funds were missing for the State, belying the claims of the BJP-led Union government.

The ‘belatedly’ released Pink Book has brought to light significant reduction in allocation for railway projects in Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget. From doubling to new line projects, funds have been drastically cut down in the full budget presented after the Parliamentary polls.

Going by the Pink Book (copy of excerpts available with DT Next), only Rs 1,000 each has been allocated for five new railway line projects in Tamil Nadu. These are Tindivanam – Gingee - Tiruvannamalai (70 km), Erode – Palani (91.05 km), Attipattu – Puttur (88.30 km), Chennai - Cuddalore via Mahabalipuram (179.28 km) and Sriperumbudur – Guduvanchery via Avadi (60 km).

The paltry allocation did not stop with the new line projects. Even crucial doubling works like the Villupuram – Dindigul (with electrification), Katpadi – Villupuram (160.10 km), Salem – Karur – Dindigul (160 km) and Erode – Karur (65 km) projects have only been allocated Rs 1,000 each in the current fiscal.

Not wasting any time in flagging the issue, CPM MP and Sahitya Akademi award-winning author Su Venkatesan said, “The Modi regime completed the Budget session of the Parliament without releasing the Pink Book. They saw through the Budget session without releasing the Pink Book because the false announcements made by them in the interim Budget for the Parliamentary polls and their deception politics would have been exposed. The Modi regime, which betrayed Tamil Nadu by not announcing a single project in the General Budget for the State, has done the same thing in railway projects.”

According to him, the allocation for new line works was Rs 976 crore in the pre-poll interim Budget, which was slashed to Rs 301 crore in the full Budget after the election. That works out to less than one-third of the earlier quantum. Similarly, Rs 2,214 crore was allocated for doubling works in Tamil Nadu earlier, which has been cut to Rs 1,928 crore now.

Venkatesan said the Pink Book, which contains these details, has exposed the blatant injustice meted out to Southern Railway.

Also, even the funds announced for railway projects in the Interim Budget have also been snatched now, he said, asking what would the State BJP leaders like its national women’s wing president Vanathi Srinivasan MLA, who faulted him when he criticised the BJP regime earlier, say now.

Allocation in the interim Budget as claimed by Madurai MP Su Venkatesan

Tindivanam – Gingee - Tiruvannamalai (70 km) - Rs 100 crore

Erode – Palani (91.05 km) - Rs 100 crore

Attipattu – Puttur (88.30 km) - Rs 50 crore

Chennai- Cuddalore via Mahabalipuram (179.28 km) - Rs 25 crore

Sriperumbudur – Guduvanchery via Avadi (60km) - Rs 25 crore