LS member urges govt to start work on coach factory in Kerala

A member from Kerala today urged the government to start work on setting up of a rail coach factory in Palakkad, saying the announcement on it was made back in 2008.

In the Lok Sabha, M B Rajesh (CPI-M) said that even land was acquired for the project in 2012 but no work has started in the last six years.

Rajesh, who has been elected from Palakkad in Kerala, also said that recently he received a communication from the Railway Ministry saying that there is no immediate need for new coaches and hence the work for the coach factory would not be started soon.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, he said both UPA and the NDA governments have not kept their promise in terms of setting up of the coach factory.

Congress leader K C Venugopal raised the issue of people in coastal areas of Kerala, who have been severely affected by heavy rains, and also asked the government to consider bringing sea erosion under the natural calamities list.

In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the matter would be brought to the notice of the ministries concerned. He also assured that the Centre would provide assistance to the affected people.