Mamata Banerjee says railways facing neglect

Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the loss of lives  in the derailment of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express and alleged the Railways is now neglected and given less priority with curtailment in the Budget.

Ms Banerjee, who had previously served as the rail minister, took to Twitter hours after the derailment. “Railways carries crores of people every day. It is the lifeline of the nation. We are proud of our Indian Railways employees. However, now Railways is neglected & being given less priority. The Budget is being curtailed. Safety and security are being compromised.”

“We don’t blame the minister (Suresh Prabhu); he is earnest in his efforts. But govt needs to address issues urgently,” the CM said in another tweet.

Ms Banerjee also offered condolences to the family of the deceased.