AGENCIESCALCUTTA, NOV 6: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and her arch political rival West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu on Saturday agreed to surpass the boundary of politics on developmental issues and work for the revival of the past glory of `Sonar Bangla'.Mamata who met Basu after a gap of six years, said she would not indulge in politics as far as West Bengal's development was concerned and would hold talks with the Chief Minister on implementation of the pending railway projects for the state.The Trinamool Congress leader who shared dais with Basu on the occasion of the foundation-laying ceremony of a flyover here said that the Chief Minister had agreed to sit together and discuss the railway projects approved for the state when he comes to Delhi later this month.Welcoming the initiatives of the Left Front government to develop infrastructure in West Bengal, Mamata said, she was "willing" to extend any support for the state's development.Earlier, speaking at the function, the veteranMarxist leader called for working together with the Centre for "constructive developmental work" in the state."There may remain disagreements and criticism over various issues with the Central Government, but the states need the support of the Centre, which should extend support for the developmental projects in all the states."Commenting on Mamata's initiatives, Basu said "a team of officials from the Railway Board recently visited the state and held talks with the Chief Secretary for the railway projects."Assuring that the Centre would extend all help if approached, Mamata said the state government, however, "should be serious about implementation of the approved projects in a time-bound manner".She also drew attention of the chief minister on issues facing the people in the state, and said the government should take care of the inefficient drainage system in the city and the public health in the wake of recent malarial fever, which has claimed a number of lives in the city alone.Meanwhile, RailwayMinister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the Railways were `morally committed' to provide better services to the people and called upon railwaymen to `serve with a smile.'``Railwaymen are the pillars of the Railways. They must remember that we are morally committed to provide better service to the public. Railway employees must provide this service with a smile,'' Banerjee said, while donating relief material for Orissa to the Bharat Sevasram Sangha here.
