Raipur takes a dig at rlys

Why is the railway line from Raipur to Bastar 100 km short of Daltonganj and hence, Jharkhand? The reason could be anything, but this has been so for ages. Chhattisgarh Development Commissioner Vivek Dhand today pointed out this as a crucial and critical factor that had led to Naxalism in the forests of Bastar.

Had that been addressed three decades ago, maybe the story would have been different today, he said, squarely blaming the Railways for some of the Naxal problems in Chhattisgarh. He was speaking at the Integrated Action Plan being anchored by the Planning Commission.

As cabinet secretary Ajit Seth was about to leave the workshop after a brief talk, Narayan jumped to his feet and appealed to Seth to hear him out which he readily did. He said while the Railways got every sixth rupee it earned from Chhattisgarh, it spent only a third of its earnings on the state.