E-Paper
Mamata keeps city lifeline to herself
Mumbai and Maharashtra may get a better deal as far as railway projects are concerned as Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has kept the responsibility of the state and the city to herself.
Mumbai and Maharashtra may get a better deal as far as railway projects are concerned as Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has kept the responsibility of the state and the city to herself.
Around 10 years ago, Banerjee, who was then the railway minister, had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of Mumbai
Railway Vikas Corporation, which is today spearheading key railway projects in the city.
A senior official at Rail Bhavan said Banerjee delegated the work of all railway zones in the country to her two deputy ministers last week, but kept the responsibility of four important states, including Maharashtra, to herself.
Banerjee has decided to keep Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal under her direct supervision while allocating equal work to her two junior ministers.
Minister of State, Railways, E. Ahamed will look after Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand. He will also look after the punctuality of trains, ticket checking, cleanliness and general upkeep of railway premises and complaints regarding passenger trains.
The other Minister of State for Railways, KH Muniayappa, has been allocated Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
He has also been entrusted with the responsibility of safety and security of railways, level crossings, construction of roads over and under bridges.
Railway officials said Banerjee, who is expected to table her first railway budget in the 15th Lok Sabha on July 3, has started receiving a barrage of requests for Mumbai and Maharashtra.
Last week, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had written a letter to Banerjee, asking her to announce running of 12-car trains on Harbour line.
