Nitish rebuts Mamata8217;s complaints

NEW DELHI, Jan 14: Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar today said that contrary to Mamata Banerjee's claims, all projects comprising th...

NEW DELHI, Jan 14: Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar today said that contrary to Mamata Banerjee8217;s claims, 8220;all projects comprising the Bengal package8221; were 8220;proceeding fine.8221;

Mamata yesterday made it clear that if the Railways portfolio didn8217;t go to her party, she would not join the Government at the Centre. And that she needed Railways because that would help implement her Bengal package. She also threatened to withdraw support if the Centre didn8217;t clear the key Eklakhi-Balurghat railway line in North Bengal.

8220;If the Prime Minister8217;s not happy with my work, he can remove me and I will abide by the decision,8221; Nitish Kumar said. However, defending his Ministry, he claimed: 8220;All projects comprising the Bengal package 8212; the Eklakhi-Balurghat project, Tamluk-Digha line and extension of Calcutta Metro 8212; are proceeding fine.8221;

On the Eklakhi-Balurghat project, the Minister said that only a 14-km stretch was available, on which earthwork and bridges were making 8220;good progress.8221; The State Government has to acquire land for the balance length of the project. 8220;We have started the work on priority but to complete it, we need the land. I took up the matter with State Chief Minister who assured me of urgent action. Railways have already provided Rs 10 crore for the project in the current year,8221; he said.

He also gave details about the 87 km long Tamluk-Digha project costing Rs 165 crore. On this new line connecting tourist resort of Digha, he said, Rs 35 crore had already been spent and another Rs 4 crore had been earmarked for 1998-99. Regarding extension of the existing Calcutta Metro to Garia, he said that techno-economic survey of the area had been completed.

The Railways, he added, had requested the West Bengal Government to share 67 per cent of the cost project, but the Ministry had not received any response from them. This kind of arrangement was working in Mumbai and Chennai, he said.

Meanwhile, according to an agency report, the West Bengal BJP has criticised Mamata8217;s 8220;pressure tactics8221; in bargaining for important portfolios. 8220;We don8217;t approve of publicly airing demands for berths in the Cabinet, instead of directly approaching the Prime Minister,8221; BJP8217;s State General Secretary Rahul Sinha said at a press conference in Calcutta.