Railway fund to Bengal at record high, state not co-operating: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted Wednesday that West Bengal is getting more money from the Centre now than when Mamata Banerjee held the portfolio in the Congress-led UPA government, stressing that train accidents have now come down by 60 percent.

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee slammed the BJP-led NDA government in the Lok Sabha over recent train accidents, Vaishaw said his ministry has focussed on technology, operational changes, and training to significantly improve safety.

Compared to the UPA, train accidents have been reduced by 60 percent, Vaishnaw said. Hitting back at the opposition leader, the minister also accused the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government in the state of not fully cooperating with his ministry for the implementation of rail projects and said land acquisition is a major problem in West Bengal.

Without naming her, Vaishnaw said the money being spent in the state by the railways is much more now than when she was the minister in charge. Briefing reporters on the railway's allocations related to the three eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, he said they are at a record high.

The average allocation under the UPA was Rs 4,380 crore for West Bengal and it is Rs 13,941 crore for 2024-25. Work on rail projects worth Rs 60,000 crore is on in the state, he said.