TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay says bullet trains impossible in India, asks Centre to focus on filling existing vacancies in Railways instead

New Delhi: The bullet train concept is not possible in India and it is a “hoax” and a false promise of the government, the TMC said on Thursday in the Lok Sabha. Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on demand of grants for railways, TMC member Sudip Bandyopadhyay said these can be called as high speed trains and not bullet trains. [caption id=“attachment_6976621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sudip Bandyopadhay. Twitter@ANI[/caption] “It is a hoax and a false promise,” Bandyopadhyay said, adding bullet trains have a separate structure. “It is a bogus on Indian soil,” he added. He also said that the government should look at railway bridges which are over 100 years old as it involves safety and security of passengers. Bandyopadhyay said there is a huge vacancy for gangmen and drivers. Vacancies for gangmen have reached two lakh and there is also a shortage of rail drivers, he said. “Drivers are overburdened. Between 3 am and 5 am, rail drivers feel sleepy and during that time accidents happen,” he added. He asked the government, “when will you fill these vacancies…I want to know the operating ratio of railways?” The TMC leader said more attention needs to be given to complete dedicated freight corridor projects. He added that base kitchen, cleanliness, food safety and quality should get priority. The member said focus is also required on the work culture of Indian railways. The train journey should be a journey of joy and not fear, he said, adding integrating rail budget with general budget has not helped the railway sector. Rajan Vichare (SS), Dileshwar Kamait JD (U), C Sahoo (BJD) and Fazlur Rahman (BSP) also participated in the discussions. Rahman said bullet train is being planned only for few people and if the government would spend half of the amount on small cities, it will help in improving railways.