Lalu has a special place in PM’s heart

Ludhiana: Impressed by the turnaround in the fortunes of the Indian Railways, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday that Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has a special place in his heart.

Addressing people after laying the foundation stone of the dedicated Freight Corridor, Singh said, "I am particularly happy to be here in the company of my esteemed Cabinet colleague, Shri Lalu Prasad ji. He has a special place in my heart."

He added, "I have always enjoyed the warmth of his friendship. I am also very impressed by the turnaround he has achieved in the Indian Railways".

Showering words of praise, Singh said that the turnaround in Railways must be credited solely to Lalu owing to

"his (Lalu’s) visionary leadership" without which the present robust state of Railways would have been difficult to achieve.

"There was no light at the end of the tunnel and the future was bleak. Laluji showed a new light to this organization," Singh said.

Singh also said that the success story should continue and once again efforts should be made to make the railways the engine of national growth.

Launching the Dedicated Freight Corridor, which is the largest single railway project since Independence, Dr Singh said the project would change the face of Punjab and of all regions through which it will pass.

"I am confident that this project will usher in a new era of industrial growth and prosperity in Punjab," added Singh.

The Prime Minster also inaugurated the Chandigarh-Morinda Rail Line and flagged off the Amritsar-Haridwar Janshatabdi Express.

He also announced that the Centre was working to develop a new international airport at Halwara near Ludhiana that would facilitate the easy movement of people and goods to other parts of the world.

He also expressed the hope that with the normalizing of relations with Pakistan, Punjab would emerge as a major trading centre for that country and Central Asia.

"The infrastructure at Wagah is also being improved to make it a major trade point between India and Pakistan," said

Singh.

"I am hopeful that as the situation normalizes, Punjab will once again become a major trading centre with Pakistan and Central Asia," he added.