Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav today said that poor people residing on encroached railway land would not be forcibly evicted, but efforts would be made to persuade them to free the land in lieu of their satisfactory rehabilitation.He made the promise in the Lok Sabha, as the House approved a bill to set up a special authority to oversee commercial utilisation of surplus railway land. The LS passed the Railways (amendment) Bill, 2005, amending the Railways Act, 1989, by a voice vote amidst a boycott of the Minister’s reply by the Opposition. The Bill had already been approved by the Rajya Sabha.With this, decks have been cleared for the establishment of the Rail Land Development Authority to start schemes for the commercial use of surplus railway land. Of the total 4.23 lakh hectare of railway land, 43,000 hectare was vacant, and 2,200 hectare has been encroached upon. On some members suggesting that the surplus land be developed by the Ministry itself, Laloo said they did not have the expertise in the field. Member (Engineering), Railway Board, will be the Ex-Officio Chairman of the Authority which will also have an expert in the field as Vice-Chairman, besides three other members.Replying to the debate, Laloo said that the move was ‘‘revolutionary and historic.’’ Commercial use of the vacant land would generate good revenue for the railways and help develop more facilities for the poor. Laloo promised that stations would be upgraded, and high quality hotels, and even hospitals, set up. On the demand that the surplus land be handed over to states, he said the railways might consider leasing it out. ‘‘The land will remain within our jurisdiction,’’ he added.
