Railways stall over 60 Bengal projects due to land issues, says Sukanta Majumdar

Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said over 60 railway projects in West Bengal remain stalled due to land availability issues. He urged the state government to cooperate and proposed renaming Sealdah station after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

Kolkata: Union minister Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday claimed that the Railways are unable to complete and commission more than 60 projects in West Bengal, owing to land availability issues.

He also suggested that the West Bengal government recommend a change of the busy Sealdah railway station to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Sealdah terminal station, maintaining that the Centre will give its go-ahead for the proposal.

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“There is no dearth of funds, but the Railways are unable to complete and commission more than 60 projects in West Bengal owing to land availability issues,” he told reporters, after inaugurating an air-conditioned EMU train service at Sealdah railway station here.

Asserting that the Railways will provide the requisite funds for completion of the projects, Majumdar said, “We want the West Bengal government to rise above politics to provide land for these, as it concerns the interest of 10 crore people of the state. It is about the development of the state,” he said.

Majumdar also urged the West Bengal government to send a proposal for renaming the Sealdah railway station, as a mark of respect to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. “We will certainly get the proposal sanctioned from the central government to change the station’s name to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Sealdah Terminus,” he said.

The commercial run of the new AC train service between Sealdah and Ranaghat, a distance of 76 km, in the Sealdah division of the Eastern Railway will commence from Monday, an official said. The suburban train has 12 fully air-conditioned coaches, which are end-to-end vestibule connected, he said.

The train will stop at Chakdah, Kalyani, Kanchrapara, Naihati, Barrackpore, Khardah, Sodepur, Dumdum and Bidhannagar stations en route, he added.