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Bengal

No invite from Metro Railway for E-W Metro's inauguration draws ire of CM

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed her unhappiness after the Metro railways chose not to invite her for the inauguration of the first phase of the East-West Metro project.

While addressing the Assembly, Banerjee said: "I had announced the East-West Metro Railway project despite various difficulties and put much effort for the project to happen. When the project

has been completed, they

do not inform me even during the inauguration of a small route."

Union Railway minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday inaugurated the first phase of the East-West Metro corridor, connecting sector V with Salt Lake Stadium. Babul Supriyo, who happens to be an MP from Asansol and the minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was also present at the programme.

However, neither the railway officials nor the Central ministers mentioned the name of the Bengal Chief Minister, who had been instrumental behind the project.

Many political observers in the state however said that the Centre should have shown the political decency by inviting the Chief Minister. "The Chief Minister's contribution to the project might have been forgotten by the BJP-led government at the Centre, but people in Bengal can still remember that the project itself had been a brain child of her," a political observer said.

It may be mentioned here that the Chief Minister, during her tenure as the Railway minister from 2009-2011, had sanctioned funds for the project in the Railway budget.

The names of state minister for Fire and Emergency Services Sujit Bose, Lok Sabha MP Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty were mentioned in the invitation cards issued by the Metro Railway authorities.

However, none from the state government had attended the programme. Babul Supriyo, during a television interview, however, claimed that the railways had invited the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, Banerjee during her speech slammed the BJP-led government at

the Centre, for its attempt to sell out various public sector units.

"We are worried over the way the Centre has been trying to sell off various public sector units. Around 42 public sector units will close down. They are trying to sell Railways which is a lifeline of the country. Similar is the case with SAIL, LIC and other units. Various banks are being merged. The headquarters of some banks have been shifted to other cities from Kolkata," she said.

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