Mamata presents Rail budget; 50 stations to be made world class

New Delhi, Jul 3: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced a slew of passenger facilities including developing 50 railway stations to world class level and upgrading many of the existing ones, making available computerised tickets at 5000 post offices and posting a doctor on each long distance train.
In her maiden budget after the UPA government resumed office, Ms Banerjee said the Railways will create assets that will generate employment, including setting up toilets, in an attempt to absorb the huge labour force in the country.
Clad in a white saree with a green border, Ms Banerjee quoted a famous line from Rabindranath Tagore's Geetanjali, ''where the mind is without fear and head is held high...''while seeking suggestions from Members.
Her speech began with a plea that it was time the economic policies geared themselves to a greater degree to work for the upliftment of the poor.
She said her hope was to take the railways to every nook and corner of the country.
Some of the model stations that would be set up were CST Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Howrah, Sealdah, New Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gwalior, Jaipur, Chennai Central, Bangalore city, Bangalore central, Secunderabad, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram and others.
The treasury and opposition benches were full with both Prime Minister Manmohan and Congress president Sonia Gandhi being present. Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad heard the speech with rapt attention and was often seen murmuring something to himself, as a reaction to announcements being made by Ms Banerjee. (UNI)