Mamata curbs foreign tours of railway officials

October 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday welcomed the government's decision to look into the issue of bribes paid by some US firms to Indian government officials. "I welcome the initiative taken up by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

October 5th, 2009 SILIGURI - The northern West Bengal town of Siliguri will have a new railway recruitment centre, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here Monday. Flagging off the weekly New Jalpaiguri-Digha Paharia Express connecting North Bengal with the coastal tourist town of Digha in East Midnapore district, Banerjee said the recruitment centre would start functioning within two months.

September 13th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday alleged that West Bengal's ruling Communists are "conspiring" against the Indian Railways and said "they will be responsible if any accident occurred". "The CPI-M is constantly conspiring against the railways.

September 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday said that her ministry has already begun an austerity drive and taken several cost-cutting measures to reduce additional expenditure. "I'd issued an order to cut all additional expenditure and it's already been implemented in the railways," Banerjee said while flagging off two new trains -- Sealdah-Ajmirsharif Express and Farakka-Nabadwip Express -- from Sealdah station here.

September 6th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway recruitment examinations will now be conducted in all major Indian languages, including Urdu, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said here Sunday. Speaking to newspersons at an iftar party hosted by union Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed, Banerjee said: "Those appearing at Railway Recruitment Board examinations can opt for any regional language, including Urdu." RRB examinations have so far been conducted only in English and Hindi.

July 20th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee kept up her promise of a 'ladies special' for harried commuters in Kolkata on Sunday. Banerjee flagged off the ladies special EMU, which will run between Howrah and Bandel stations in Kolkata.

July 7th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Rail services were affected at various places in Orissa Tuesday following demonstrations at railway stations by the youth wing of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to protest the alleged neglect of the state by the central government in the railway budget. Although the demonstrations were peaceful, railway officials said the movement of trains was affected as protesters sat on the tracks in some places for nearly two hours.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in parliament house Friday morning to present her ministry's budget for this fiscal, promising to address the demands of the average passenger. "My budget will be of the people, by the people and for the people," Banerjee told reporters before leaving for parliament house to present the railway budget in Lok Sabha, the lower house.

July 3rd, 2009 HYDERABAD - Andhra Pradesh Friday conveyed its unhappiness to Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee over the raw deal the state has received in the 2009-10 railway budget. The Congress government in the state feels that injustice has been done to the state as the budget proposed no new projects for the state except a superfast train between Visakhaptnam and Mumbai and development of Secunderabad and Tirupati railway stations.

June 24th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has written to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, listing the state's demands, including that of four new trains and five new railway lines, to be incorporated in this year's rail budget, an official said Wednesday. "Since the railway budget is schedule to be presented July 3, Raman Singh has sent a letter to the railway minister listing out Chhattisgarh's demands," the official told IANS.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said she had not taken a decision on disinvestment in railways. "No communication regarding disinvestment in railways has come to me.

June 7th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railway passengers should be more vigilant about their own security while commuting, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee said Sunday night. "People, mainly the railway commuters, should be more vigilant about the security matter.

May 26th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee, who broke convention Tuesday to take charge of her portfolio here instead of the national capital, identified the speedy completion of eastern freight corridor as being crucial to her scheme of things. "The eastern freight corridor between Kolkata and Ludhiana is very important and will be completed very soon," said Banerjee, adding: "It's very important for the development of four states - West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab." Also, the Bihar-Howrah express train, which was renamed as Kandari Express, will be made a daily train.

May 26th, 2009 KOLKATA/NEW DELHI - Concerned over the plight of people in cyclone-hit West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee broke tradition Tuesday to formally take charge of her railways portfolio at the Eastern Railway headquarters instead of New Delhi. "I have to be with the people in my state at this hour.

May 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - Refusing to indulge in political bargaining, Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that she is ready to support the new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre. "The Trinamool Congress will support and work with the Congress-led government at the Centre.