Railways is self-sufficient: Mukul Roy

Kolkata, April 23 (IANS) The railway ministry had constraints but was financially self- sufficient unlike other ministries that look for central aid, Railway Minister Mukul Roy said Monday.

"The news that is being spread in the media about the financial condition of railways is not right. If you see carefully, you will find that other ministries of the union government look to the central aid for functioning... It's true that sometimes the railways do face some constraints but at the end we are self-sufficient," Roy told reporters.

The Trinamool Congress leader, who took over the portfolio from his party colleague Dinesh Trivedi, said he was banking on his chief Mamata Banerjee's 'Vision 2020' for bringing back the golden age of the railways.

"Mamata Banerjee's tenure as railway minister is the golden age for Indian Railways. I am confident that by following the path of 'Vision 2020', railways will return to its golden age," he said.

The opposition, including the Left Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party, have alleged that the railways had become cash strapped under the stewardship of Mamata Banerjee.