All eyes are now on the low profile Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Minister of State for Shipping.
Heavy rains packed with gusty winds lashed Odisha and parts of southern West Bengal as the landfall process of the severe cyclonic storm Dana was complete on Friday morning with no loss of life.
However, speculation remained rife that the meeting was part of Banerjee's plan to form an opposition front with regional players minus the Congress.
Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Minister of State for Shipping, Mukul Roy will be the new Railway Minister.
Protests against the Waqf Act turned violent in parts of West Bengal on Friday, with demonstrators setting ablaze vehicles, disrupting traffic and rail movement, and injuring several policemen. The unrest erupted in Suti, Murshidabad district, where protesters defied prohibitory orders, hurled stones at security personnel, and torched police vans and public buses during processions. Police responded with lathi charges and tear gas, while some officers were forced to seek refuge in a nearby mosque. Similar protests were held in Malda and Kolkata, prompting Governor C V Ananda Bose to direct the state government to take swift action against those responsible. The governor also contacted Union Home Minister Amit Shah and held discussions with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was recently passed by both houses of Parliament, aims to improve the management of Waqf properties, safeguarding heritage sites and promoting social welfare.
A look into Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's Duronto trains.
PMO officials said while they had got a request from Trinamool Congress MPs for a meeting with the PM, no letter recommending Trivedi's replacement had been received till late Wednesday night.
She said Indian Railways had taken up a large number of projects, many of which had been completed and that was why the railway published its success stories through advertisements.
The Indian Railways will be the lead partner for Commonwealth Games. Special trains will run during the Commonwealth Games.
According to sources close to her, the budget in a way would reflect Mamata's vision for the Railways in the coming years and means of generating resources for key projects.
On May 28, 2010, Maoists derailed the Jnaneshwari Express, killing 148 passengers.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday visited the victims of the accident in West Midnapore in West Bengal, in which at least 75 people were killed.
The Indian Railways lost about 40 per cent of its business due to disturbance including Maoist violence and agitations.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday hailed Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for doing a 'competent job' at a short notice, saying the Railway Budget will make train travel an "enjoyable experience".
'Mamata is synonymous with Bengal, its culture, language, traditions.'
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee would resign as Railway Minister on Thursday, a day ahead of being sworn in as West Bengal Chief Minister.
Lalu Prasad, in his tenure, had more than doubled the number of tatkal seats, and thereby had taken out the number of berths available under normal reservation. The additional tatkal seats that are thrown open for reservation at the last moment came at a premium of Rs 75-300 and earned more revenue for the Indian Railways. Some, however, allege that this reduced the chances for passengers to buy cheaper tickets in advance.
Three days before quitting office, Lalu Prasad issued an order to give a life-long AC first class complimentary pass for ex-railway ministers along with three companions. Mamata Banerjee, who doesn't use red beacon-fitted car entitled for ministers and foots her own food bills, clearly signalled she would not allow Lalu's largesse to continue. "If we give more seats to ministers, we deprive common people from getting tickets," she said.
The Railway Budget 2010 presented to Parliament on Wednesday by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been received with glee by most people.
Faced with requirement of mammoth resources for expansion, the railways will need to involve the private sector, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said.
Amid demands for a separate state carved out of Bengal by some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that she is ready to shed her own blood, if need be, to thwart attempts to divide the state.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the minister proposed to set up a bridge factory.
On Monday, Railway Board, the apex body in the ministry, issued a circular that the Prime Minister's Office would handle all projects worth Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) and above.
According to Kolkata-based economist Prasanta Roy Choudhury, the Railway Budget that Mamata Banerjee presented on Wednesday was one of the best ones in recent times.
Fifty-seven new trains were proposed by the railways minister Mamata Banerjee as she presented he Railway Budget for 2009-10 in Parliament on Friday.
The opposition parties, the BJP and CPI-M on Thursday dubbed the Railway Budget "imaginary" and "document of dreams" as there was no allocation for completion of various railway proposals in it.
The Indian Railways will flag off 117 new trains as planned.The Railways will also introduce 52 new trains in FY11.
Freight corridor project slipping, needs supervision revamp, says Plan panel.
The invitation was extended by Sir Richard Stagg when he called on Mamata Banerjee at the Rail Bhawan on Thursday.
Fund balances for the current financial year have already been revised downwards by the ministry from the budgeted Rs 5,062 crore to Rs 3,100 crore.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday welcomed Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's announcement that there was no move to privatise the railway sector.
Railway minister promises jobs for land deals for the project.
A year after protesting against the Nano plant, invites companies to partner with the railways for its proposed 'auto hubs' .
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged Railway minister Mamata Banerjee to order a high-level inquiry into alleged "jugglery" of figures in profits between 2005-06 and 2008-09 during her predecessor Lalu Prasad's tenure.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has been invited by China to attend an international conference on high-speed rail system.
All the Indian Railways' zones have been instructed to ensure availability of Janata Khana. A comprehensive policy, including strict monitoring mechanisms, would be developed soon for achieving these objectives.
The period of advance booking under the Tatkal Scheme is being reduced from the current 5 days to 2 days. Tatkal tickets will be made available destination-wise instead of from end to end thereby reducing the financial burden on passengers.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde on Friday slammed Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for presenting a 'lacklustre, populist budget with an eye on forthcoming elections in West Bengal'.
The Indian Railways will launch 56 new trains, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said.
The full page advertisement that claims that Mamata was wearing rubber slippers manufactured by Ajanta Company, was published in June 21 edition in Sambad Pratidin, a Kolkata-based Bengali newspaper.
