Maya goes all out to challenge Rail Rae Bareli land acquisition

Lucknow, Oct 17 (UNI) The Mayawati government has employed all its legal resources to challenge the land acquisition by the Railway Ministry for Rail Coach Factory in Rae Bareli.

Frantic efforts have been launched in the UP government to prepare the necessary documents to challenge the claim of the Railway Ministry, it is officially learnt.

The Railway Ministry acquired 353 hectares of land in Rae Bareli yesterday claiming it would pave way for the 'bhumi pujan' for the Rs 2200 crore factory. It also issued an extraordinary gazzete notification in this regard.

''The Railway Ministry may have taken refuge of the provisions of sections-20 (E) of the Railway Act but the issues related to land comes in state list as mentioned in the 9th schedule of the Constitution,'' sources in the UP government told UNI.

If the matter pertains to state list of the Constitution, how can any Central Department acquire the land, the sources said.

''The issue would be challenged on the basis of law even as the issue was pending in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court, where the next hearing was fixed for October 22,'' they added.

Rae Bareli District Magistrate Santosh Kumar Srivastava offered no comment when contacted by UNI. ''The matter assumes legal propositions hence my comments on the matter would not be proper,'' he said.

MORE UNI SB MB RSA RP HS1710