- News>
- India
PIL on Eastern Railway bifurcation dismissed by HC
Kolkata, July 05: The Calcutta High Court today dismissed a Public Interest Litigation on the proposed bifurcation of Eastern Railway for setting up a new railway zone, east central railway, headquartered at Hajipur.
Kolkata, July 05: The Calcutta High Court today
dismissed a Public Interest Litigation on the proposed
bifurcation of Eastern Railway for setting up a new railway
zone, east central railway, headquartered at Hajipur.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice A K Mathur and
justice Jayanta Biswas, while dismissing the PIL, observed
that the court would not interfere in the administrative
decision of the government.
The PIL alleged that the setting up of the new zone was for political considerations as the earlier railway minister's parliamentary constituency was at Hajipur and that of the present minister at Barh, within the Danapur division.
It claimed that before setting up the new zone no recommendation of any committee had been taken and the Rakesh Mohan Committee, set up by the present railway minister in 1998 also had itself, disapproved of its establishment. Former Union finance minister and advocate Debi Pal, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Biswajit Deb, contended that the introduction of the new zone was not for any financial consideration nor could be supported on administrative grounds as there was no infrastructure at Hajipur.
It stated that the office administration would require expenditure of at least Rs 500 crore in addition to the construction of buildings and quarters, and as a result of the bifurcation the Eastern Railway would lose 50 million tonne of freight every year. Bureau Report
The PIL alleged that the setting up of the new zone was for political considerations as the earlier railway minister's parliamentary constituency was at Hajipur and that of the present minister at Barh, within the Danapur division.
It claimed that before setting up the new zone no recommendation of any committee had been taken and the Rakesh Mohan Committee, set up by the present railway minister in 1998 also had itself, disapproved of its establishment. Former Union finance minister and advocate Debi Pal, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Biswajit Deb, contended that the introduction of the new zone was not for any financial consideration nor could be supported on administrative grounds as there was no infrastructure at Hajipur.
It stated that the office administration would require expenditure of at least Rs 500 crore in addition to the construction of buildings and quarters, and as a result of the bifurcation the Eastern Railway would lose 50 million tonne of freight every year. Bureau Report