Nalikul (West Bengal), Nov 15 (IANS) The Railways will give jobs to people who help prevent accidents or provide tip-off about sabotage, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee said Sunday, asking people to come forward in protecting railway property.
Any railway employee will be promoted for preventing accident or sabotage, Banerjee announced at a function in this Hooghly district area.

“The villagers are our biggest assets. I seek their assistance to protect all railway property across India. If anyone comes forward to help us avert an accident, we’ll offer them a job in the railways,” the minister said while laying the foundation stone of the Tarakeswar-Narikul double line, about 60 km from Kolkata.

“Many people are now trying to disturb the railway network carrying out sit-ins on the tracks, stopping Rajdhani Express and others. I urge people to resist any form of malpractices that could disturb the railways. It’s the lifeline of the nation. I promise if people can do that the railways will also take care of them,” she said.

Banerjee said she did not believe in working as the railways minister. “I try to work like any other employee of the railways,” she said, terming the department’s more than 14 lakh employees as its “main pride”.

“The minister keeps on changing, but the employees remain the same. They are permanent.”

She also set a deadline to set up railway connectivity between Tarakeswar and Bishnupur station.

“I sanctioned the project in 2001 when I was the railway minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. But there was no progress over the past eight years,” she said.

“It generally takes at least two years to complete the project. But I promise, I’ll complete this project by 2010,” Banerjee said.