Kolkata: Accusing her detractors of
targeting the Railways, Mamata Banerjee today said lives of
people were more important than settlement of political
scores.
"Why target the Railways by causing accidents and then
ask Mamata Banerjee to resign? If this be so, then Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee should resign each day owning responsibility
for the road accidents!" the Railway Minister said at a
function at Sealdah station.
"I am telling everybody from Maoists to others, fight me
politically. Please do not cause fatal railway accidents and
play with the lives of people," Banerjee said apparently
referring to the May 28 Jnaneswari Express derailment which
left 148 people dead.
The Centre has started a CBI probe into the causes of the
disaster, suspected to be the handiwork of Maoists, on
Banerjee's request.
She said Trinamool Congress would stay in the UPA
government for full five years and continue to serve people
through her ministry.
Land for people living along tracks
The Railway Ministry is in the
process of starting pilot projects to provide land to those
who live along railway tracks.
"Many people live on the sides of the tracks for which
trains have to reduce their speed. These people do not have
any shelter," Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said today.
To solve this problem, the Railway board has taken a
decision to start a pilot project named 'Sukhi Griha', for
which the ministry is in talks with the Urban Development
department, Banerjee said at a function after flagging off
four local trains in the suburban division.
Under the project, the Railways would provide land to
each of these families and the Urban Development Ministry
would construct one-room homes.
"The railways may also bear a portion of the construction
cost," she said, adding depending on the success of the pilot
project, it would be done on a mass scale.
She also announced that Kanchankanya Express and Uttar
Banga Express would run daily from July one.
PTI
First Published: Monday, June 14, 2010, 00:04