He said despite 4.5 lakh Keralites residing in Pune, there has been a sheer neglect as far as starting direct trains to the state is concerned. He said more focus should be given to maintenance of trains and railway stations ; more facilities should be provided to defence personnel as well.
Chandmal Parmar of MCCIA transport committee said Pune had not received much in the budget, though there had been some positive announcements at the national level. Babu Nair, a Congress leader, said the demand of Malayalee community in Pune for increasing the frequency of Poorna Express from once a week to at least thrice a week has not been met.