RailEnquiry

Stating that there cannot be a “general rule” to provide employments to those giving up their land for railway projects, Union Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said here on Monday that there is need to reconsider the policy announced by former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.Mr. Chowdhury said he will raise the matter in the Ministry and approach Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Planning Commission in this regard.“If jobs are to be given to those providing land for railway project, then only in Eastern Railway about 1.5 lakhs to 2 lakh people will have to be employed. There are 17 such zones of the Railways; imagine how many people will have to be employed!” he said.Mr Chowdhury said such a policy will create obstacles to implementation of railway projects in the State as well as the country.Asked by journalists whether such policies were populist, he said, “Yes, the populism has gone beyond what is permissible.”He had earlier announced at an event the setting up of a museum to preserve the 150-year heritage of the Kanchrapara railway workshop in North 24 Parganas district.Later in the day Mr Chowdhury inaugurated the New Garia Halt station on the southern fringes of the city.Stating that he will try to implement the railway projects announced in the State, Mr Chowdhury said there is need to strike a balance between the resources of the Railways and the announcements made.