New Delhi: TMC Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay asked the government to pace up developmental projects, especially in road and transports in the eastern zone on Tuesday.
During the discussion on demands for grants for the Road Transport and Highways Ministry in the Lower House, the senior TMC member urged the road and transport minister Nitin Gadkari that "To take care of the eastern zone on a priority basis and ensure that all the projects you have mentioned here, particularly in West Bengal."
He further said, "Since independence, the eastern region has been the worst sufferer. Though you mentioned that the government will not be biased to any specific region, but we can see that Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Tripura have been deprived than Mumbai, Pune, Gujarat, Hyderabad."
Bandyopadhyay also mentioned that "Oppositions have an eye on government's every move."
However, after the rail minister Piyush Goyal, now the road and transport minister blamed the land acquisition policy in this region. During his reply, Gadkari clarified, "Land acquisition is a major problem in road construction projects. State governments have to come out with solutions and help find a way out. Projects can't be moved without 80 per cent of land acquisition and this principle is being followed very strictly. This process is very slow in West Bengal and Bihar."
But the ruling party of West Bengal, Trinamool has also clarified that farmers' welfare is their priority and their lands cannot be encroach illegally.