Railways have about 62000 hectares of land across the country. Are preparations being planned to give this land on lease? Is there any plan going on to secretly allot valuable railways land at prime locations in cities on long lease to the friends of the Prime Minister to erect business malls, hospitals and schools, where people’s pockets will be loosened?
If the statement released to the press by KumariSelja, General Secretary of All India Congress Committee, former Union Minister and a former State President of Haryana Congress, is to be believed, then this is going to happen very soon. In her statement, KumariSelja has said that the BJP government at the Centre has made preparations to hand over the railways land across the country to the business friends of the Prime Minister. Instead of selling these lands to these friends, there is a plan to allot them on long term lease at throwaway prices. These businessmen will build malls, hospitals, schools on this prime location land, where the pockets of the people of the country will be loosened. It would be better if the central government allots these valuable lands to the state governments so that these governments can open schools, hospitals etc. there.
In a statement issued to the media, KumariSelja divulged that the Railways has secretly prepared a blueprint to bring most of its land into commercial use. Railways have about 62000 hectares of land across the country. Preparation is on to give this land on lease. This land is to be given on priority basis for building schools, colleges, hospitals, malls, markets, restaurants etc. For this, the Railway Land Development Authority has finalized its planning. The former Union Minister said that it is clear from the intention of the Central Government that big businessmen will be encroached on this land with mutual connivance because, if the Railways tried to sell this land, then it would have faced protesting on a large scale, so a middle way out is being adopted, it has been decided to give it on lease. This lease will be for 99 years, which means that once it is allotted to someone, no one will be able to vacate it.
KumariSelja said that the State Governments are short of land in the cities and often they refuse to open schools, colleges, hospitals etc citing the expensive land. In such a situation, the Railways should give its land to the state governments for use, so that it can be developed according to the needs of the local people, but on the contrary, the intention behind giving this land to corporate and big businessmen is clearly visible. The former Union Minister said that at present, the beginning of razing this land has been started from small and medium cities and after that the number of big cities will come. Big businessmen will earn manifold profit by grabbing this land, because by collusion they will get prime location land. In these schools and colleges fees will be very expensive, while hospital treatment will not be affordable for the ordinary poor common man.
Jag Mohan Thaken is a Haryana based retired Senior Bank Manager, views are personal
