NROs demand more investment in railway sector in Orissa

Odisha.in, Aug 21, 2007

In letters addressed to the Chief Minister and the M.P.s from Orissa, Dr. Baral and Dr Patra stated "Communication is biggest hurdle for all round developments in Orissa and specially KBK and other tribal regions in Orissa.
By By our Special Correspondent

Bhubaneswar, August 20 (Odisha.in) Some prominent non resident Oriyas on Monday demanded more central government funds towards development of railway sector in Orissa.

Dr. Chitta Baral, Professor Arizona State University and Dr. Digambar Patra, Visiting Lecturer (Department of Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo), Japan have urged upon Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and all the Members of Parliament from the state to press upon the Union Government to ensure adequate investment in the railway sector in the state, particularly in the K-B-K districts to effect development of communication which would ultimately resulted in all round development of the State.


In separate letters addressed to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the M.P.s from Orissa, Dr. Baral and Dr Patra stated "Communication is biggest hurdle for all round developments in Orissa and specially KBK and other tribal regions in Orissa.

It is largely becoming difficult for the state administrator to monitor developmental programme in KBK region from the state capital.

Poor connectivity from the state capital to other region is also making of KBK and other tribal pockets in the state to totally depend on Visakhapatnam and Raipur for commerce and business for which the state is losing huge amount of money as tax as the money earned in the state is finally spent in the neighboring states ."

" With only four per cent of the track of Indian Railways, East Coast Railway caters about 12 per cent of total loading of the Indian Railways and about seven per cent of its total earnings , but the profit made in Orissa is finally diverted to loss making zones like Kolkata metro."

The recent high-speed corridor, also known as bullet train proposal by central government, comprises four routes and is estimated to cost about Rs 25,000 crore for each route.

If there was no politics, one could understand commercial point of views of Mumbai-Ahemadabad, Chennai – Bangalore routes in this proposal, but Kolkata-Bhubaneswar should have priority over Kolkata – Patna route for the bullet
train proposal.

The N.R.O.s alleged ," it is clear that there was a foul play by our central leadership while selecting the high speed corridor in the following routes. (i) Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (PM's home state route like IISER), (ii) Mumbai-Baroda-Ahmedabad (Congress CM desmukh's home state route like IISER), (iii) Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore (UPA allianace Karunanidhi's home state and FM home state route like IIIT), (iv) Howrah-Asansol-Patna (Railway minsiter's home state route and UPA alliance CPI-CPM home state route like IISER).

Additionally, there is also a plan of Rs 251,000 crores to be spent during the 11th plan by Indian Railway . Orissa has been neglected and ignored since past decades on railway budgets and many of the railway projects in Orissa are hanging since decades.

Before the central government again cheats Orissa in 11th plan railway bidget, I would like to request you to kindly bring railway connectivity in KBK to the central government, prime minister, railway minister and parliament for needful action so that the following routes, specially railway routes in KBK and other tribal regions of Orissa, are completed on a first priority basis.

(A) Khurda – Balangir; (B) Gunupur-Theruvali; (C) Lanjigarh Rd – Bhawanipatna – Junagarh – Nabarangpur- Jeypore – Malkangiri; (D) Talcher – Bimlagarh; (E) Bangiriposi (Mayurbhanj tribal Dist)-Gurumahishasini and/or Buramara-Chakulia; (F) Badampahar-Keonjhar.