Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's proposed visit to Mangalkot, which has witnessed recurring violence between Trinamool Congress and CPI-M in August and December last year, has been cancelled, officials said.
Railway Minister and Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee has been insisting that Chidambaram visit Mangalkot, 60km from Burdwan town, alleging that Left workers had unleashed terror against her party activists. The visit was cancelled in view of the delay in Chidambaram's arrival from Itanagar, police said in Kolkata quoting a message from the union home ministry. The Railway Minister, meanwhile said that Mangalkot will be linked by broadguage railway line soon.
"The new broadguage line to Mangolkote will usher in development in the area," Banerjee said here during the day inaugurating two new passenger trains.
Banerjee, who flagged off the Burdwan-Malda town passenger and Howrah-Memari local, laid the foundation of 25 km Burdwan-Bolgona broadgauge line, to be built at an expense of Rs 250 crore, besides a community hall and a parcel office. She announced that a railway wagon factory would be set up here and the much-awaited Burdwan-Nabadwipghat rail line work will begin soon.
"I am hopeful of completing the Railway projects inaugurated by me by December ... Please do not try to create hindrances only for the sake of politics. Many people do not know how to work, some take even 20 years to do anything," she said in an oblique criticism of the Left Front government, which has been in power for over 34 years in the state. Banerjee stressed on Railway passengers safety and criticised frequent rail blockades.
Railways will run 'Sanskriti Express' from Bolpur and will cover various parts of the country to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindra Nath Tagore. It will acquaint the people with the poet's thoughts and philosophy. Railways will also build a musuem on Tagore at Bolpur station, she said. PTI
