Saturday, April 16 2005 15:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Railway Minister Laloo Prasad today (Apr 16, 2005) made an unscheduled visit to the residence of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee with the two leaders closeted for 40 minutes.

Though Trinamool Congress sources described it as a 'courtesy call' on the part of the Railway Minister, certain pending issues relating to Railways were understood to have figured at the meeting.

Banerjee, a former Railway Minister has threatened to resist any move to evict about 20,000 persons from railway land at Lake Gardens in Kolkata without an alternative rehabilitation plan for them.

Banerjee who gave an alternative proposal said that the encroachers could be rehabilitated on railway land near Jadavpur and Bracebridge, which would involve an expenditure of Rs five crore.

On the other hand, observing that eviction is a 'fait accompli' for squatters on railway land adjacent to the Rabindra Sarobar Lake In Kolkata, the Calcutta High Court on April 11 directed the authorities to immediately begin the process of evicting them.

The sources said that Laloo evinced keen interest in the paintings of Banerjee, which were displayed in the room. She presented the Railway Minister a picture of goddess Kali, which was liked by him.

Laloo arrived in Kolkata this morning in connection with a National Railway Week function.