Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said about 300,000 acre of railway land would be used for different commercial purposes, including setting up medical colleges, IITs and other educational institutions, where 50 per cent seats would be reserved for the children of railway employees.
Banerjee also said that while she favoured the reservation of a percentage of jobs — possibly 50 per cent — through Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) for local candidates, she would decide only after broad discussions. She was replying to a debate on the Railway Budget 2009-10 which was cleared by the Lok Sabha today.
Plans for railway land occupied a great deal of the Railway minister’s defence of her budget. She admitted that large tracts of railway land had been encroached upon, but said she was not in favour of evictions, and no land would be allowed for encroachment henceforth. “Our department is preparing the details (of a policy for railway land) and will finish it in 10 days. But we do have more than 300,000 acres,” said Banerjee.
“We cannot sell the land. But what is the problem in commercial utilisation?” she queried and said institutions such as medical and nursing colleges, hospitals and other institutes of higher education would be set up on this land.
Banerjee also announced setting up an expert panel, headed by Ficci Secretary General Amit Mitra to prepare a business plan for the proposed Eastern Industrial Corridor of the railways.
