Injustice to Waltair Division, the breadwinner and the highest revenue-earning Division of East Coast Railway (ECoR), was continuing, said former MLA of Gajuwaka Ch. Venkataramaiah.
Quoting from the information obtained under the Right To Information (RTI) Act by Duvvada Railway User’s Association secretary K. Eswar, he said in a statement on Saturday that Waltair Division was allocated the lowest funds for taking up electrification works during the last 10 years under the ECoR dispensation.
A total of 1,178.52 TKM (Total Kilometres) was taken up for electrification in Khurda Division and 363 TKM for Sambalpur Division from the financial year 2004-05 till date while Waltair Division had a dismal share of 127.52 KM during the same period.
Mr. Venkataramaiah said that under the head 2013-14 assets – acquisition, construction and replacement, ECoR had not shown the new lines (construction) for Waltair Division and in addition to traffic facilities, yard remodelling and other works were taken up only in Odisha. Extension and raising the platform height was taken up only in eight stations of Waltair Division as against 35 stations in Odisha.
He said the amenities sanctioned at Duvvada station were not completed on the plea of ‘paucity of funds’ and appealed to the ECoR General Manager to visit Duvvada and initiate steps to develop it into an ‘Adarsh’ station.
