Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has written a letter to Rail Minister Piyush Goyal, seeking his intervention in withdrawing the Ministry of Railway’s order of relocating the 132-year-old Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE) from Jamalpur in Bihar to the outskirts of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
In a series of tweets, Bihar Water Resources Minister Sanjay Jha said, “#Bihar takes strong exception to @RailMinIndia's 24 Apr order to shift prestigious #Jamalpur-based Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering out of Munger. CM Sri @NitishKumar has asked Sri @PiyushGoyal to intervene on this regressive move. @PMOIndia.”
1/5#Bihar takes strong exception to @RailMinIndia's 24 Apr order to shift prestigious #Jamalpur-based Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering out of Munger. CM Sri @NitishKumar has asked Sri @PiyushGoyal to intervene on this regressive move.@PMOIndia
— Sanjay Kumar Jha (@SanjayJhaBihar) May 6, 2020
Jha also said the chief minister had written the letter to the Rail Minister on May 1 to rescind the decision, “Hon CM Sri @NitishKumar has written a letter on May 1 to Rail Min Sri @PiyushGoyal requesting him to immediately rescind this decision. IRIMEE represents rich legacy of Railways & Bihar. Its great historical linkage with Bihar needs to be strengthened & not severed. @PMOIndia.”
“This oldest central training institute has been an iconic institution, and a pride of Bihar. Estb in 1888, IRIMEE #Jamalpur has been most coveted center for training to Indian Railway's top brains since 1927. How can a legacy of 93 years be wiped off so brazenly? @PMOIndia,” he added.
As per the Bihar Minister, the state government had urged the Centre to upgrade IRIMEE into a University in 2015. “It was informed that instead National Academy of Railway, Vadodara was being upgraded as 1st national university and IRIMEE shall operate under this new univ. Now, this move to shift it is unacceptable @PiyushGoyal,” Jha said.
Former Finance Minister Yashwant Singh also criticized the centre’s move at this juncture.
“It is most unfortunate that govt of India has ordered the transfer of the decades old Rly Training Institute at Jamalpur in Bihar to Lucknow in UP. Doing it during lockdown makes it worse. Bihar must fight back,” Sinha said in a tweet.
It is most unfortunate that govt of India has ordered the transfer of the decades old Rly Training Institute at Jamalpur in Bihar to Lucknow in UP. Doing it during lockdown makes it worse. Bihar must fight back.
— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) May 5, 2020
Netizens from Bihar had run a social media campaign in order to withdraw the order regarding relocation of iconic institute. Ek Prayas Kalpatru had questioned about this order and sought answer as who is responsible for this?
बढता बिहार या पिछड़ता बिहार । आखिर कौन जिम्मेवार ? @Nachiketayadav2 @SunnyKumarSingh @Morewithshashi @anishsingh21 @PrinceK22494984 pic.twitter.com/NGGCfpIev4
— एक प्रयास कल्पतरु (@S5CampaignBihar) May 5, 2020
"We strongly condemn the railway ministry's decision to shift the 132 year old IRIMEE institute from Jamalpur to Lucknow. Bihar has witnessed the worst industrial development in the last three decades. Such decisions will aggravate the existing problem. The central government should rather help state government to tackle huge unemployment through Industrialization and restructuring of these institutes. Bihar is at the mercy of circumstances and need special attention by the central government. Ek Prayas Kalpataru thus request the central government and railway ministry to withdraw its decision to shift the IRIMEE from Jamalpur to Lucknow," Ek Prayas Kalpatru Convener Sachin Singh told India Sentinels.
However, the director of the institute announced that only a new branch of the iconic institute will be opened in Lucknow as part of an effort to build a centralised institute to train railway officers on probation.
Here is how other Twitter users reacted:
The legacy of Jamalpur to produce special class Railway apprentices and Indian Railway services of Mechanical Engineers i.e. IRSME officers will be history now as IRIMEE will be shifted to Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/3KVM0GiPsJ
— N. K. Modi (@nkmodi11) May 1, 2020
केंद्र सरकार ने फिर एक बार बिहार विरोधी रवैया अपनाते हुए प्रदेश की शान, रेलवे की प्रमुख संस्था IRIMEE को जमालपुर से लखनऊ शिफ्ट कर रही है।
— Gunjan Patel (@GunjanINC) May 6, 2020
ये शर्मनाक और बिहार पर करारा प्रहार है, हम सभी इसका विरोध करते हैं केंद्र सरकार इस फैसले को वापस ले अन्यथा इसके लिए @IYCBihar जनांदोलन करेगी। pic.twitter.com/x8HZX1X2NP
#IRIMEE, Jamalpur, Bihar being shifted to Lucknow. @PiyushGoyal Goel must remember, Bihar congress will never let this nearly 150 year old institute go out of bihar.. we will take to roads to protect our legacy..@DrMadanMohanJha@RahulGandhihttps://t.co/shE15mCd0q
— Jaeya Mishr (@Jaeya_Mishr) May 6, 2020
Sir, It's not a fair decision from @RailMinIndia
— Manish Kumar Jha (@Join_Manish) May 5, 2020
Why IRIMEE? It's our pride.
Please don't do this, Bihar already lacking such Training Institute. @narendramodi @NitishKumar @PiyushGoyal https://t.co/GV5DRD6UPp
आखिरकार बिहार से क्यों छीन लिया गया बिहार का सबसे प्राचीन जमालपुर रेलवे प्रशिक्षण संस्थान IRIMEE(1888) एशिया का सबसे बड़ा व प्रसिद्ध रेल इंजन कारखाना जमालपुर की स्थापना 8 फरवरी 1862 को हुई थी। @NitishKumar @yadavtejashwi @PiyushGoyal @pappuyadavjapl @RahulGandhi @ECRlyHJP pic.twitter.com/2w8h8Mcqm1
— Drx Arvind Kumar Chaudhary (@DrxAKChaudhary) May 6, 2020
बढता बिहार या पिछड़ता बिहार । आखिर कौन जिम्मेवार ? सिर्फ सांसद और विधायक ही नहीं यहां के लोगों को जागरुक होना पड़ेगा अपने अधिकार के लिए।।युवाओं को नेतृव के लिए आगे आने का समय आ गया है अच्छे मार्गदर्शन के लिए एक प्रयास कल्पतरु का विशेष धन्यवाद आभार।।
— sushantkumar (@sushant8582) May 5, 2020
