Nitish seeks speedy completion of railway projects in Bihar

Patna, Feb 18 (PTI) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar todayurged the Railway minister Mamata Banerjee for completion ofvarious railway projects in Bihar in time as well as runnew trains on different routes in the state, including a highspeed Duranto Express between Patna and New Delhi.

In a letter to the Railway minister outlining his wishlist from the railway budget from the fiscal year 2011-12,Kumar demanded that all railway projects in Bihar be completedin a time-bound manner in the interests of the state andextended his government''s cooperation and necessaryassistance to the railway authorities in this regard.

He urged Banerjee to commit sufficient fund in thisfiscal year''s railway budget for the ongoing and incompleteprojects in Bihar, including railway lines, wheelmanufacturing plant at Chapra, diesel locomotive manufacturingunit at Marhouwra, greenfield electric loco manufacturingplant at Madhepura.

Among his other demands, the chief minister has urgedthe railway minister to sanction a high speed Duranto expressbetween the state capital and the national capital, besidestrains between Bhagalpur-Bikaner, Patna-Dehradun,Muzaffarpur-Pune, Rajgir-Howrah, extension of Gaya-Chennaitrain to Bangarluru.

Kumar has further urged the railway minister toinclude Gaya and Hajipur stations for developing them intoworld class stations and time-bound completion of rail-roadbridge at Digha.