Hindu Business Line, Jan 17, 2009
BHUBANESWAR: Seeking establishment of a rail coach factory in the state, Orissa government on Saturday asked the Centre to implement a Rs 1520 crore package for overall development of railway network here, official sources said.
In separate letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Railway minister Lalu Prasad, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state remained neglected in terms of railway network.
“Railway route length and rail density in Orissa is well below the national average as also substantially lower than that in neighbouring states like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar,'' Patnaik stated in the letters seeking a sizeable allocation in the coming railway budget for the state.
Reminding the Centre that Orissa generated maximum revenue for the railways, Patnaik said the earning should be spent in expansion and augmentation of rail network here. Stating that the proposed rail coach factory could take advantage of steel and alum inium projects in Orissa, Patnaik said that the plant might be considered in one of the backward districts.
“Establishing a rail coach factory in backward district could become the key driver of regional socio-economic growth while generating a large number of employment,'' he said.
It is understood that two such factories were announced at Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. One such unit in Orissa would address regional imbalance, he said. - PTI
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