Mamata Banerjee yesterday broke convention by taking over charge of the railway ministry in Kolkata, instead of doing so at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi.

In one of her first announcements since taking over as the railway portfolio, Banerjee said a special railway pass for the poor would be introduce for travel on specified routes. The pass would cost Rs20 a month for workers of the unorganised sector earning less than Rs500 a month.

Banerjee opted to complete the formalities of taking charge of the railway ministry in Kolkata in view of the damage caused by Cyclone Aila in West Bengal.

After completing the formalities, the railway minister, left to visit the storm-hit areas. The function was shifted from the Eastern Railway headquarters to the BC Roy Institute near the station Sealdah station.

Thousands of people had gathered for the function. Her party supporters waved Trinamool Congress flags and cheered her shouting, ''Mamata Banerjee zindabad.'' She was accompanied by three of her party MPs.

Expressing concern over the violence in Punjab, she said the Northern Railway would run special trains to bring back those stranded in the violence-hit Amarnath and Jalandhar.

She said that the Howrah-Ludhiana Eastern Freight Corridor project would be completed in record time and the project would help generate commercial, industrial and employment opportunities in states such as Punjab, Delhi, UP, Bihar and West Bengal.

She also announced steps to fulfil her party's promise of turning the seaside spot of Digha in Purbo Medinipur district into '' a Goa'', she announced extension of the weekly train service to thrice every week to be effective within a month. She named the new service Kandari Express.

She said the completion of the extension of the metro from Tollygunge to Garia would be one of her priorities.

She assured more announcements in the railway budget to be presented in the Lok Sabha before 31 July. She said that pending railway projects in J&K would be completed on priority and train connectivity to ports and places of tourist interest would be improved with safety, cleanliness and passenger amenities getting top priority.

Banerjee, during her trip, did not lose opportunity to train her guns on the Left Front government for failing to take adequate precautionary steps prior to the worst cyclone hit in 20 years. She charged that the state government was faltering in providing relief and rehabilitation.

She said the West Bengal government woke up to begin relief operations after she alerted the centre about the devastation She said the state government had failed to open relief camps for thousands of affected people and they were suffering even as of date.