Damages on rail by maoists will not be tolerated: Lalu

Durgapur/Katwa, June 30 (UNI) Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today warned the Maoists against damaging the property of the railways, which made a sharp turnaround with a profit of Rs 20,000 crore under his regime.

Laying the foundation of the conversion of a narrow to broad gauge track from Katwa to Burdwan and new road overbridge at level crossing near Durgapur railway station, Mr Prasad thrashed the Maoists for targeting railway property during economic blockade and bandh.

''Railway is not a weak unit, it is now one of the best in the country, so we will not tolerate such damages anymore,'' Mr Prasad reiterated.

Expressing serious displeasure over the torching of Biramdih railway station under Adra division, he said such damage would never be tolerated and railway property would be protected at any cost.

Dwelling on the upgradation work taken up by his Ministry, he said altogether 11,000 metre narrow gauge would be converted to broad ones by 2012.

''A straight rail line will be laid for goods train from Ludhiana to Kolkata by 2008,'' he added.

The Union Minister further predicted that the Indian railway services would be the numero uno in the world.

UNI