Trivedi stuck over Rly Budget as Didi's pet scheme flops

In a week from now, Union Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi will be presenting  the Railway Budget, the script for which is expected to come from his predecessor and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee. But before Trivedi announces new railway projects in the budget, he might have to rethink over the 'job-for-land' policy formulated by Banerjee.

After former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee introduced a 'Job-for-land' policy in 2010, it was put to test for the first time in the laying of railway track between Furfura Sharif and Dankuni in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. In fact, Banerjee herself  laid the foundation of the project and promised the local people permanent jobs at a public meeting before the state assembly election last year.

The construction of the broad-gauge line formally started in January last year. But after a year the project is still stuck at the land acquisition stage as Banerjee formulated the job-for-land policy which has come into the way of the execution of the project.

Under the policy, one member of each family whose land was acquired will be given a permanent job besides compensation at market price. As per the policy, it  was stated that the job provided to land losers would be in the pay scale of Rs 5,200-20,200 with grade pay of Rs 1,800. This means a land loser will get Group-C category job, for which the starting pay would be a little above Rs 10,000.

When railway authorities initiated the land acquisition process for Furfura Sharif-Dankuni railway track, it realised as per the new policy, the railways will have to provide permanent jobs to at least 2,300 land losers in order to lay the barely 19-km track.

“We planned to start work from the Dunkuni-end. The Rs 30 crore has also been allocated for the project initially. But the problem is how can you provide jobs to so many people. We will require hardly 800 people to provide service in the area. There is no rationale. It is impossible to implement the policy,” said a railway official, who does not want to be named.

According to railway officials, a significant part of the land belongs to people, whose holding is very small. “There are cases where holding is even less than a cottah. But, still as per the policy they are entitled to get a railway job,” the official added.

The project was planned to be started with the construction of 5 km track from Dunkuni-end.  The land acquisition also started for the same as about 300 people have already got checqes for their land. But the project has now come to a standstill.

“Minister (Dinesh Trivedi) came here couple of months back. He assured us of employment within a year. But there has been no work in the last few months,” said Alamgir of Jangipara village in Hooghly district, who is banking on his six cottah land to get a railway job.

But, the railway authority is clueless on how to go ahead with the project implementing the job-for-land policy. Eastern Railway, which is executing the project is understood to have conveyed its concern to the higher authorities and awaiting necessary directives on how to go about the project.