I have cleared backlog of 2.3 lakh vacancies in Rlys: Mamata

Budge Budge (WB), Jan 11 (PTI) Railway Minister MamataBanerjee today said she has cleared a "backlog" of 2.3 lakhvacancies in her department.

"There was a backlog of 2.3 lakh vacancies in theRailways which I have cleared. Vacant posts will be filledup," Banerjee said while laying the foundation stone of an ACcontainer and bogie manufacturing factory in South 24 Parganasdistrict.

"Candidates can give examinations in their mothertongue and will get jobs according to merit," Banerjee said.

On West Bengal Chief Minister BuddhadebBhattacharjee''s recent allegations that she takes officialresponsibilities lightly and is untruthful about jobs,Banerjee retorted "Let CPI(M) give a marksheet on what theyhave done in 35 years and then I will show what I have done inone year and six months."

Reiterating that the Railways would not acquire landforcibly, she said, "in Singur, in the name of landacquisition bullets and torture were used on the commonpeople. I took a lesson from there and decided not to acquireland forcibly."

"I am against any kind of land acquisition in the nameof industrialisation and constructing factories," Trinamoolchief said.

She said the first thing she did after becomingthe Railway Minister was to create a land bank. "I tried touse the unutilised lands of the Railways which are being usedto set up factories." .