Rlys’ brochure lists what Lalu has done for Bihar

The brochure, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, is a “confidential” document made available exclusively to RJD workers, MPs and MLAs so as to enable them to tell the masses “how much Laluji has done for the state”. Sources said that the ministry had printed around 6,000-7000 copies at a cost of around Rs 5-6 lakh.

With a picture of Lalu standing with students of Harvard and Wharton on its cover, the brochure also carries inside a picture of Lalu addressing management students at INSEAD in Singapore. Even as the first six chapters of the brochure talk about passenger amenities, concessions and reduction in fares, the remaining eight chapters detail all the major railway works undertaken in Bihar.

The chapters range from details about new production units and workshops being set up in Maraura, Madhepura, Chhapra, Dalmianagar, Sonpur, Gadhara, Samastipur and Garkha to an overall investment chart listing out investments pumped in 34 new lines (12,053 crore), five gauge conversion projects (2,572 crore), 12 doublings (703 crore), 55 road overbridges (700 crore), electrification through Barabanki, Gorakhpur, Barauni, Katihar upto Guwahati (1,186 crore) and mega bridges in Patna, Munger and Nirmali (2,600 crore). A sum of Rs 22,000 crore, to be spent on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, has also been added to this list since it will pass through Bihar’s Bhabua, Rohtas, Aurangabad districts.

Even as there is a dedicated chapter on surveys being conducted for new lines in Bihar, another chapter lists out the 34 new lines currently being constructed. Another chapter deals exclusively with the gauge conversion projects and another lists the names of 62 railway stations in Bihar which are being developed as model stations. The last two chapters list out names of 52 trains started between 2004-05 and 2008-09 for Bihar and 25 others which Railways proposes to begin in the current fiscal.

“An exercise was conducted to collect information about all the major investments made in Bihar and all that information has now been compiled in the form of this brochure. It is essentially being distributed to RJD workers, MPs and MLAs so that they can tell their constituencies how much Laluji has done for the state,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity.

Asked about the propriety of getting a Bihar-specific brochure prepared, Joint Director (Information and Publicity) Manish Tiwari said, “We wanted to showcase how the Railway’s turnaround story has impacted various regions of the country. Since the maximum number of projects have gone to Bihar, information about those projects was picked up for this brochure. We are also planning other region-specific brochures listing out achievements and initiatives in other parts of the country.” He declined to comment on the absence of the mandatory Indian Railways logo and motto on the back cover of the brochure.