Cabinet sticks to decision to bifurcate Eastern Railway

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Monday night stuck to the 1996 decision for bifurcation of the Eastern Railway zone, thereby rejecting the demand of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee for stalling the division, sources said.
Banerjee had refused to join the Union Cabinet demanding revocation of the bifurcation decision or divesting Nitish Kumar of the Railway Ministry while the latter had ruled out review of the decision saying only the Cabinet could do so.
The Trinamool Congress leader in her opposition to the bifurcation move was supported by the ruling Left Front in West Bengal while the Bihar Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution welcoming the creation of a new zone with Hajipur as headquarter.
Banerjee also served an ultimatum at a public rally in Kolkata to launch a statewide stir against the bifurcation following which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said that the issue would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting.
The meeting, however, was not in favour of rescinding the decision taken by the Cabinet during the United Front regime in 1996.