Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) West Bengal's ruling Left Front Wednesday denounced Mamata Banerjee's railway budget as a political gimmick with an eye on the state's assembly poll next year, saying 'it would take 2,500 years' to fulfil the promises that had been made.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) that leads the Left Front slammed the budget for making fake promises without allocating funds.

'The projects announced in the railway budget would take 2,500 years to become a reality. They don't have money and they have already announced that they will build hospitals, universities and run hundreds of new trains. Where will the funds come from?' CPI-M central committee member Shyamal Chakraborty asked.

Like last year, Banerjee used the budget to dole out largesse for West Bengal.

Among the projects mentioned were a Centre for Railway Research and an advanced locomotive pilot training centre at Kharagpur, multi-disciplinary training centres at Cooch Behar and Malda and a coach factory proposal for Singur. Two of the five wagon factories mentioned in the budget are slated to come up at Burdwan and Haldia.

Besides, the state has got three of the 10 new Duronto trains, in addition to a large number of expresses, and suburban and non-suburban trains, besides promises of vast extensions to the Kolkata Metro network.

Left Front partners Communist Party of India (CPI) and Forward Bloc also lashed out at the budget document indicating the privatisation of the railways, saying it would harm the national interest.

'The railway budget has all kinds of indications for privatising Indian Railways. It is banking on private investments for different kinds of projects. It will harm our national interests in the long run,' said senior Forward Bloc leader and former state minister Hafiz Alam Sairani.

CPI state secretary Manju Kumar Majumdar said the budget had been prepared with 'vested political interests' as the assembly elections were due next year.

'Most of the projects have been announced without allotment of funds. And there is no concrete proposal on railway safety. There are clear indications of privatisation of railways which is bad for the country,' Majumdar said.

Banerjee, in her budget speech, pointedly said the railways would not be privatised.

Left ally Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) felt the budget will become a political weapon to attack the railway minister if she failed to keep her promises.

'Lots of projects and promises have been announced. We will have a new political weapon if she fails to keep the promises she has made in the budget. We will wait and watch how many of the promises she can fulfil,' said senior RSP leader and state PWD minister Kshiti Goswami.