RailEnquiry

Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee landed in a fresh controversy for inaugurating an over bridge-cum-flyover through a remote control from Mati Utsav (Earth Festival) venue near Panagarh in Burdwan district on Sunday.The cost of the Rs 22-crore project which stretches over 1 km north-south on state highway 9 on the East Cabin of the Durgapur Railway Station is equally shared by the State’s Public Works Department (PWD) and the Ministry of Railways. But Mamata inaugurated the structure without inviting the Railway Minister or any senior Railways official.Speaking to Deccan Herald over phone, Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “She has become publicity hungry and she is least bothered about the protocol and the decorum. She even lacks the sense of courtesy and is doing anything she feels right. People won’t tolerate it for long.”The idea of erecting a bridge-cum-flyover was conceived in 2000 and land survey started thereafter but the project initially faced problems with land acquisition due to extensive encroachment. However, the foundation for the project was laid by former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in 2004 and the state PWD issued a work order in May 2009. A state undertaking, Mackintosh Burn, was assigned the responsibility of initiating the work.