Patna, Apr 01: The Chiraiyatand Rail overbridge in the state capital has got mired in a controversy even before the start of the work with RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav and his bete noire railway minister Nitish Kumar engaging in a sparring match over the propriety of laying of its foundation by chief minister Rabri Devi. Kumar, while inaugurating a new railway terminal building at Rajendra Nagar here yesterday, had taken the Bihar government to task for showing undue hurry in getting the foundation for the overbridge laid by Rabri Devi on Sunday without extending invitation to the railway officials or local MP and MLA.
He said that the railways had forked out rupees seven crore for the project and the Centre had provided an assistance of Rs 10 crore on the recommendation of the planning commission. "I was in for a shock when I came to know that the Chief Minister had laid the foundation at a function to which no railway official was invited,” he said.
Taking serious exception to the minister's diatribe, RJD supremo told media persons that since the state government was required to contribute Rs 55.15 crore for the project, there was no harm in the Chief Minister laying the foundation.

While the railway is investing only rupees seven crore, 70 per cent of the central assistance is by way of loan on which the state is paying an interest of 11.25 per cent, he said.

He also disputed the charge that union minister C P Thakur, who represents Patna in the Lok Sabha and local MLA and Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly S K Modi were not invited to the function. Invitation was sent to even the railway minister by railway mail service but knowing how the railway works it does not come as a surprise that he (Nitish) did not receive it, he quipped.

Bureau Report