In a major snub, the Mamata Banerjee-led railways kept West Bengal chief minister and veteran CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee away from a ceremony attended by president Pratibha Patil to mark the start of a new Metro Rail project.
Patil laid the foundation stone for the Joka-BBD Bagh project which will link more areas on the outskirts of Kolkata to the heart of the metropolis.
“I received no invitation,” the chief minister had said on Tuesday when asked if he was going to the programme at Joka.
CPI(M) did not take kindly to the chief minister not being extended an invitation in violation of protocol.
Trinamool Congress did not believe in democratic principles and such an incident would not strengthen democracy in the state, the party’s West Bengal secretary Biman Bose said.
Transport minister Ranjit Kundu, who received an invitation after he had left the state secretariat, Writers’ Buildings, also did not attend.
Besides Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee, governor MK Narayanan, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and other Congress leaders were present.
At the function, Patil had a word of praise for Banerjee.
“I would like to compliment the railways, which, under the dynamic leadership of Mamataji, has undertaken this significant initiative,” she said.
The president strongly pitched for mass transport and transit systems in cities as growing urbanisation called for planning for the future.
“As the population of cities grows, it is essential to have mass transport and transit systems that facilitate movement of people. In their absence, city dwellers would depend on private transportation, leading to congestion, pollution and more fuel consumption,” she said.
Patil said metro was an effective system of travel. She, however, cautioned that its construction was complex, requiring application of several new technologies in the fields of civil, electrical, signalling and telecommunication engineering.
“It is important to take proper care at every stage from planning to execution and maintenance. Planning requires preparing work schedules and executing them in a manner that it does not disrupt normal life.
“I am also optimistic that a project such as this which is sensitive to the concerns of local people will be completed in time and be a source of pride for all,” she said.
