Mamata happy with Budget focus on safety

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee today said she’s ‘‘happy’’ with this year’s Railway Budget as ‘‘there’s no hike either in passenger fares or freight.’’ But she added: ‘‘The three per cent decline in passenger traffic is alarming as it points to the frequent accidents on tracks. Because of that people are apprehensive about travelling in trains.’’

Taking a dig at Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and his budget, the Trinamool leader said: ‘‘When I implemented the idea of not hiking passenger fares and freight and tried to increase Railway earnings by other innovative schemes, I was criticised for populism.’’

Expressing her satisfaction over the new budget, she said: ‘‘I congratulated PM A.B. Vajpayee for allowing the Railway Ministry to have funds for safety measures according to recommendations of the Khanna Panel.”