Spend on railways infra, safety instead of bullet train: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday attacked the government over its ambitious bullet train project, saying it would "be like demonetisation" and said that railways should instead spend money on safety, better infrastructure and better facilities.

In a series of tweets a day after a deadly stampede in a railway foot overbridge in Mumbai killed over 20 people, Chidambaram tweeted: "Bullet train will be like demonetisation. It will kill everything else including safety."

"Railways should spend on safety, better infrastructure and better facilities. Not on bullet train," he posted.

In another tweet, he said: "Railway Minister may take pledge on day after. Rs one lakh crore for rail safety, track upgrading, signalling and not for bullet train."

He said the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train is not for ordinary people and it is only "an ego trip for the high and mighty".

After the deadly stampede in a foot overbridge in Mumbai on Friday, there have been sharp reactions from across the public and political spectrum on priority being accorded to the expensive Bullet Train project vis-a-vis providing basic amenities to Mumbai's daily eight million plus railway commuters.

--IANS

akk/rn