Sonia's constituency turns 'battle ground' over rail coach factory

Rae Bareli, Oct 13 (UNI) The withdrawal of land for the proposed rail coach factory at AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi's parliamentary constituency today elicited strong resentment among people against the Uttar Pradesh government.

Ranting stentorian anti-state government slogans, an irked mob burnt the effigy of UP Chief Minister Mayawati in various parts of the district, especially at Lalganj, where the said factory was supposed to be set up.

The agitators also staged commotion in Gurubakshganj, Maharajganj, Bachravan, Sareni and Tiloi areas and vandalised vehicles, including the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPRSTC) buses.

Ironically, the mob included some of those farmers, whose land were acquired for the rail coach factory at the place.

The farmers were of the view that the new factory would have created job opportunities, besides being good from the development's perspective.

Reports from Deoaria said the withdrawal of land evoked protest in the district too, where a memorandum addressing Governor was also handed over to the District Magistrate.

The Rs 2,200 crore proposed rail coach factory in the Congress' chief's constituency was in doldrums since yesterday, when the state government cancelled the acquisition of the land as sought by the Railway ministry.

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered status quo on the land, interpreting that now neither the possession of the land would be taken back from the Railway department, nor the land would be allotted to anyone by the state government.

Ms Gandhi and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad were scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the ambitious project tomorrow.

UNI XC/JAS BDP KN2125