No plans to shift IRIMEE from Jamalpur to Lucknow, says Railways after Nitish Kumar's letter

The Ministry of Railways on Thursday said that it has no plans to shift IRIMEE from Jamalpur in Bihar to Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow and any assertions to this effect are "incorrect and misleading."

The clarification by the ministry came after senior Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to rescind the "outrageous order" of shifting the Indian Railways Institute for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE) from Jamalpur to Lucknow.

"Ministry of Railways clarifies that it has no plans to shift IRIMEE from Jamalpur to Lucknow. Any assertions to this effect are incorrect and misleading and do not have the approval of the Ministry of Railways," the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry said it has, in fact, planned to enlarge the activities of IRIMEE to also impart educational programs in transportation technology and management.

"Several additional educational programs starting with 1-year Diploma courses at Jamalpur are planned to be introduced for which curriculum development and design is underway. Indian Railways is very proud of the history and legacy of IRIMEE and there is no question of it being transferred from its present location," it said, adding that all efforts are to further strengthen it and enlarge its role at the existing location.

"Railways in particular and the transportation sector in general in India are witnessing major growth and transformation. A well-developed training and educational facility like IRIMEE in Jamalpur will not only play a significant role in providing training to Indian Railway employees but also provide high quality professional education and skills to youth from Bihar and neighbouring areas and contribute to economic development in the region," the ministry said.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Jha had said the "intriguing" move to shift the century-old IRIMEE out of Jamalpur has hurt the emotions of the state's people. Jha, a senior JD(U) leader is considered a close confidante of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and serves as Water Resources Minister in the JDU-BJP coalition government.

Jha said Kumar has written a letter on May 1 to Rail Minister Piyush Goyal 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," he had said.

"The rather intriguing move of shifting is shocking. IRIMEE Jamalpur is integral to rich legacy of Bihar and CM Sri @NitishKumar takes great pride in this. We earnestly request Sri @PiyushGoyal to intervene and ensure rescind of this outrageous order," he said.

Jha said the Railways for its clarification on Thursday and said the Bihar government is committed to extend its finest cooperation to ensure the institution further flourishes.

IRIMEE was founded in 1888 and has produced several illustrious officers, including former Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani.