Rail GM's stock answers rile TDP MPs

J.C. Diwakar Reddy, TDP MP, lashed out at the SCR General Manager, Ravindra Gupta, on holding an ad hoc meeting with MPs belonging to Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada on Thursday. For every demand, the GM was giving the stock answer of lack of funds, even as the railways have been making profits for years in this zone. Earlier, the MPs gave their views on different railway projects in the region. The GM maintained the stock answer, `lack of funds.' An angry Diwakar Reddy asked him what was the point then in holding a meeting with the MPs. You don't allocate funds for projects, you don't initiate new projects and you cannot complete pending projects. Why do you hold these meetings? The meeting was, therefore, ridiculous, he said walking out. The other TDP MPs followed suit. The Telangana MPs also similarly boycotted the meeting with the Railway General Manager on Wednesday. The MPs of the Telugu States acting in concert is expected to be beneficial to both of them. The region as a whole has been giving profits to the railways for years, and the railways have been sinking the profits in projects elsewhere in the country. It is well known that Railway Board membership and chairmanship commands a very high premium running into tens of crores of rupees. However, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is known as an honest administrator and he should do justice to the region which returns profits for the railways year after year.