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Lalu’s brother allegedly blocking construction of railway line

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the State Government would look into reports that the brother of Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad was blocking the construction of a railway line in Gopalgunj district.

“We have come across reports about some problem created by none other than Mr. Prasad’s elder brother Gulab Rai. We will look into the matter,” Mr. Kumar told reporters. He declined further comment saying “matters will be verified”.

According to reports, Mr. Rai has allegedly forcibly brought construction to a halt and demanded compensation for land in his wife’s name at Phulwaria village, which the State Government acquired for a new railway line between Hathua in Bihar and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.

When contacted, Kanhaiya Mishra, a contractor who has been assigned the job of constructing a railway building at Phulwaria, confirmed that Mr. Rai had asked him not to go ahead with the work till he received the compensation.

The additional district magistrate Parmanand Singh that compensation could not be given for government owned land. Documents procured by journalists in Gopalganj suggested that government land was settled in favour of Mr. Rai’s wife Kunti Devi, in 2004 at Phulwaria village when RJD was in power.

According to the rules, government land could be settled only in favour of a landless person belonging to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or Other Backward Class (Annexure I category).

Mr. Rai, however, comes under OBC (Annexure II category). -- PTI

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