Lalu Prasad whose political fortunes in his home state Bihar, have been on the downslide, got a shot in the arm with the Union cabinet on Thursday agreeing to his idea of an ordinance that would help him push through special railway projects in Chapra and Madhepura in Bihar and Rae Bareli in UP, the constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Railway projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore, including the Diesel Loco Factory in Chapra, Electric Loco Factory in Madhepura and a Rail Coach Factory in Rae Bareli, were so far on hold due to prolonged delay in land acquisition by railways. Prasad, however, got the cabinet nod for promulgating an ordinance to amend the Railways Act, 1989, for expeditious land acquisition for "special railway projects".
Even work on the prestigious Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) has not begun due to problems of land acquisition, a senior railway official said. Prasad, he said, managed to convince his cabinet colleagues that the proposed ordinance would in no way harm the interests of land owners. The ordinance will provide for adherence to all the provisions in the policy on rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced persons, Prasad is reported to have told his colleagues.
Source: Times Of India January-11-2008
