: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday expressed disappointment over no special announcement made in the Union Railway Budget presented by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to fast-track railway development in Odisha, where railway density is significantly lower than the national average.
“While there is a package for the North-east and Jammu and Kashmir, no special package has been given to Odisha's inaccessible and backward districts that have zero railway network, despite our commitment to provide land free of cost apart from 50 per cent of the project cost,” said Mr. Patnaik, reacting to the Railway Budget.
The Chief Minister said railway funds allocation to Odisha increased due to overall increase in the budget outlay.
“I understand that there is an overall increase of 53 per cent in the budget outlay of Railways. Odisha has also been correspondingly given an increase in allotment. Further, due allocations have been made for our ongoing projects like Khurda-Bolangir, where the State government has committed to provide land free of cost and bear 50 per cent of the project cost,” said Mr. Patnaik.
He maintained some of the traditionally neglected railway sections like Sambalpur Titlagarh and Sambalpur Talcher have been given due weightage.
Odisha Congress president Prasad Harichandan said, “Less allocation was made for railway development in Odisha compared to what the State government had demanded. Odisha put forward a demand of Rs. 3,200 crore while the sanction for the budget was around Rs. 1,700 crore.”
General Manager of East Coast Railway Rajiv Vishnoi said, “The allotment, we have got this year, is significantly high. The 36 per cent increase in allocation had never happened earlier. We have been allotted over Rs. 3,112 crore for ECoR in the budget. Funds have been earmarked for laying the third line and doubling which would ease the railway traffic.”
Provision of Rs. 195 crore made for decades-old Khurda-Bolangir Rail Project (289 km, sanctioned in 1994-95) elated many in the State. “It is heartening to note that substantial allocation has been made for Khurda-Bolangir Rail project in this year’s budget. Besides, the NDA government’s Railway Budget has taken care of projects in backward districts of Odisha,” said State BJP president K. V. Singh Deo.
Some critical industrial railway corridors have also got their due share. Angul-Sukinda, Daitari-Banspani, Haridaspur-Paradip and Bansapani-Jakhapura have got substantial allocation in this year’s budget.
