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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Union Minister for Railways Nitish Kumar on Thursday night asserted the proposed bifurcation of Eastern Railway would optimise efficiency, buttress safety measures, help decentralisation and make it user-friendly.
He made these observations while addressing a press conference after meeting an all-party delegation from Bihar, which wanted him not to change the plans to bifurcate Eastern Railway, to be headquartered in Hajipur.
"I did what I had to do," Kumar said in response to questions whether the proposed bifurcation had not started a feud between Bihar and West Bengal.
Contending that the notification (for the bifurcation of Eastern Railway and the creation of eight other zones) had been done in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Act and the decision taken by the previous government, he said, "It is not a matter between two states."
"Eastern Railway is not a part of any state, it belongs to the entire country," the railways minister contended in response to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's assertion he was 'playing politics' to ensure that Bihar was the beneficiary following the bifurcation.
"I merely assured the all-party delegation from Bihar that I would apprise the prime minister of their apprehension (on not pressing ahead with the bifurcation)," he said.
His statements indicated that the bifurcation of Eastern Railway would go ahead until and unless the central leadership instructed him to do otherwise.
Earlier, the all-party delegation from Bihar called upon Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bihar Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ramchandra Purbey said the delegation wanted the creation of the Malda-Katihar zone and another to be headquartered in Bhagalpur.
The leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly, Sushil Kumar Modi, said, "There is no case for West Bengal."
He also described West Bengal's apprehension that it would lose revenue as a result of Dhanbad becoming part of the new zone as 'unjustified'.
"This is because Dhanbad belongs to Jharkhand and state Chief Minister Babulal Marandi had supported the move for the bifurcation," Modi said.
"Therefore, West Bengal should not make it as a Bihar-West Bengal feud," Modi added.
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