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The Trinamool Congress on Friday said it was optimistic about a compromise being worked out on the proposed bifurcation of the Eastern Railways, hoping that the decision would be reviewed and the notification kept in abeyance.
"We still believe a ministerial review committee will be formed on the matter and this would be followed by suspension of the (bifurcation) notification at the earliest," party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said in New Delhi before leaving for Kolkata to attend a meeting of Trinamool's general council scheduled for Saturday.
Bandopadhyay held detailed discussions with Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Vijay Goel late on Thursday night and explained to him the intricacies of the bifurcation and the problems likely to be faced by West Bengal if the new East Central Railway zone comes into existence in October in accordance with the notification.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani is scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday to discuss the bifurcation issue, with the latter having written a protest letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the matter.
Sources said that government was looking into the bifurcation issue and contemplating retaining a few divisions within the purview of the Eastern Railways.
The related issues of transfer of staff and rolling stock was also being looked into, along with the projects to be undertaken by Eastern Railways and their financial impact, the sources said.
Referring to reports about the government considering a proposal to form a group of ministers to review the bifurcation decision, Bandopadhyay said: "We would favour such a move."
Meanwhile, hardening its stand on the bifurcation, the Trinamool Congress on Friday said it would not be part of an all-party delegation if it meets only Railway Minister Nitish Kumar during its visit to New Delhi on Monday.
Trinamool Congress' policy-making body chairman and opposition leader in the assembly Pankaj Banerjee said his party would take part in the talks if the all-party delegation managed to get time from the prime minister or the deputy prime minister.
PTI
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