Rly create land bank with surplus 1.12 lakh hectare: Mamata

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) With a view to utilise surplus
land for commercial purposes, Railways have now created a land
bank of 1.12 lakh acres across the country.

"Our land bank is ready now as we have surplus land of
1.12 lakh acres at 103 sites across the country. This will be
utilised for commercial purposes," Railway Minister Mamata
Banerjee said on Sunday while flagging off three trains here.

Speaking on the occasion she mentioned about the
benefits of the Kisan Vision scheme which aims at running
special trains from production clusters of perishable goods to
consumer centers transporting fruits and vegetables.

The scheme aims to benefit farmers by creating cold
storage facility for vegetables and other perishable items,
she said, adding "Experts are examining the scheme."

She also announced starting of the much talked about
Duranto train services for Kolkata, Pune and Mumbai from Delhi
by mid-September.

Besides, she said more than 40 of the total 79 trains
announced in the budget are ready to be flagged off within
next 15 to 20 days. PTI