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Jaya Jagannath,
Here comes a tale of a
poor orphan who pleads since birth for basic rights of livelihood,
but has been ignored and humiliated by his step mother since ever.
Ok, this painful story is of non other than our motherland Odisha. A
states that contributes to more than 10 percent of Indian railway's
fiscal earning, but receives less than one percent in return for
it's railway infrastructures and facilities within it. This is not a
surprise for Odisha as it is just an effect of a Bengal favoring
rail budget by an anti Odisha rail minister standing over a helpless
UPA government.
What Odisha got :
• extension of Sambalpur-Nizamuddin Express up to Nanded
• New Puri-Shalimar weekly,
• Puri-Gandhidham weekly via Durg,
• Puri-Digha weekly,
• Jharssugguda-Bhubaneswar tri-weekly,
• Koraput-Visakhapatnam Intercity via Vizianagaram
• Puri-Sealdah AC tri-weekly Dronto Express.
• Koenjhar-Bhubaneswar Fast Passenger
• Koraput-Bolangir-Sambalpur Fast Passenger
Nine trains that will pass through Odisha :
• Howrah-Secunderabad weekly Express,
• Hyderabad-Darbhanga weekly Express via Jharsuguda,
• Howrah-Tirupati weekly Express,
• Ranchi-Pune tri-weekly Express,
• Digha-Visakhapatnam weekly Express,
• Howrah-Visakhapatnam weekly Express,
• Kharagpur-Viluppuram weekly Express,
• Purulia-Villupuram weekly Express
• Dibrugarah-Kanyakumari weekly Express.
Expenditure Provisions are just Rs.732.25 crores for following
projects:
• Daitari-Bansapani- Rs.70 crore,
• Lanjigarah Road-Junagarah Rs.10 crore,
• Khurda Road -Balangir Rs.60 crore,
• Haridahpur-Paradeep, Rs.178 crore,
• Angul-Sukinda Road Rs.196 crore,
• Talchaer-Bimalagarah, Rs.66 crore,
• Koraput-Rayagada Rs 10 lakh,
• Sambalpur-Talcher, Rs.2 crore
• Digha -Jaleswar line ( New ) Rs 150 crore.
• For Doubling of 22 lines, Rs.408.67 crore.
• Electrification of four lines Rs 13.10 crore
• Gauge conversion in Rupsa-Bangiriposi and Nuapada-Gunupur lines,
Rs 14 crore.
Lines of
grievances
( Courtesy : DOSA, Intellectuals ) :
1. Although a Rail Wagon factory is promissed during earlier
budgets, but it has been started in all 10 other places in different
states announced last year, but not yet in Odisha. Actually such
establishments should be at the neighbourhood of any steel plants.
But if railway will deserve a land at the capital city, ofcourse it
would be extremely difficult for any state govt. to fetch a land at
such commercially prime places. Thus the delay.
2. Four new projects were announced for West Bengal, Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand under Socially Desirable New Lines to
connect un served and under served regions as per scheme Pradhan
Mantri Rail Vikas Yojna, but Odisha was not considered as un served
or under served category ( where 7 districts are yet to be touched
by Railway lines ).
3. Odisha found no mention in any of the 3 new train categories (
Vivek Express, Kavi Guru Express and Janam Bhoomi Gaurav Tourist
train). Though under the new services Rajya Rani Express a new
Jharsuguda-Bhubaneswar tri-weekly train was announced, but the
demand for last many years was actually daily train connecting
industrial city Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar.
4. Demand was for making 3 rail divisions ( at rourkela, Rayagada
and Jazpur road ), Rail coach factory at Rourkela or Kalinga Nagar,
but turned down by authorities.
5. Frequency of Bhubaneswar-NewDelhi Duronto Express still counts to
once in a week, against demand for daily ply. New Trains are being
piled to favor West Bengal while interest Odisha passengers
demanding new trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad to
where huge Students, professionals and Labors need frequent
communication is largely ignored.
6. It is highly disapointing that 4 crore Odias were given with only
2 weekly trains (Puri-Shalimar, Puri-Gandhigram), two passenger
trains and only one DMU. No major trains of Odisha are being
extended , no increase in frequency of trains. out of twenty two
(22) proposed new lines not a single line is given to Odisha.
7. Although a survey for Paradip Dhamra line was announced, but
there was no mention of Bhubaneswar to KBK and Kandhmal.
Bolangir-Khurdha Railway line is also abandoned. Digha Jaleswar line
although touches Odisha soil, but just 5 percent of this project
remains in Odisha and the rest is in Bengal.
Talking honestly, we feel the state govt. also have some faults
here. Delay by state govt. in proposing Budget proposals to the
centre Govt. gives less time for the planners to plan adequately.
Secondly, the state govt. should form a bench of intellectuals by
picking the most technically competent People of Odisha ( Ex : Sri.
Achyuta Samanta, Sri. Baijayanta Panda, other eminent railway
analysts )to not only design the railway budget proposals for
Odisha, but also man the debate desk at planning table justifying
economic, strategic and diplomatic advantages or projects. Should we
realize now and thrust such things with right most approach, we
witness an expectation met. Jaya Jagannath.
Regards
Team Nilachakra
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