West Bengal

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Kolkata, June 6: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced plans for a bullet train service connecting Siliguri and Delhi. Speaking on Saturday with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari by his side, the minister said the high-speed rail service would enable passengers to travel from Siliguri to Delhi via Patna, Varanasi, and Kanpur in approximately six hours. He added that work on the ambitious project would begin soon.

The day, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari held an administrative meeting with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Nabanna. During his remarks, the Railway Minister criticized the previous Trinamool government, alleging that it had repeatedly denied permissions required for various railway development projects in West Bengal.

Journalists after the meeting, Vaishnaw thanked the people for what he described as “saving West Bengal” and claimed that railway development in the state had been stalled for years because the former government did not grant necessary approvals. He said that the state’s development had been held back and called upon all stakeholders to prepare for a new phase of infrastructure growth.

The Railway Minister further alleged that the previous government had approached the High Court in an attempt to halt railway projects. According to him, after being dissatisfied with the court’s ruling, the matter was subsequently taken to the Supreme Court. Vaishnaw claimed that the former administration had pursued legal action up to the Supreme Court level over issues related to railway and metro projects, including those affecting metro services for Kolkata residents.

He asserted that, going forward, railway and infrastructure projects across West Bengal would be carried out with full momentum and that the state would witness accelerated progress in transportation and connectivity in the coming years.