BJD slams Rail Budget for ignoring Odisha

Nine new trains, wagon maintenance workshop for the state

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha slammed the Railway Budget for 2013-14 for neglecting the state's interests and termed it a politically oriented Budget.

“This is a political Budget. There has been no specific announcement on long delayed rail projects of Odisha like Khurda Road-Bolangir rail link. Odisha has been neglected for decades in the Railway Budget. This is unfortunate”, said BJD MP Baijayant Panda.

Similar views were echoed by the BJP.

“This Rail Budget has been designed keeping in view the ensuing elections”, said BJP national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan.

State Congress leaders however, defended the Rail Budget, calling it a balanced one.

“As far as new lines are concerned, Odisha has not got much. But overall, it is a good and balanced Budget”, said Congress MP Bhakta Charan Das.

For Odisha, the Railway Budget has announced a new railway line connecting Jharsuguda with Raipur.

It has also proposed survey for six new lines under the jurisdiction of East Coast Railway (ECoR)- Titlagarh-Junagarh, Bangriposi-Gorumahihani, Kirandul-Bijapur, Kirandul-Sukma, Nirakarpur-Tapang and Sikarpal-Jagsalpatri-Junagarh and electrification for Singapur Road-Damanjodi section.

Nine new express trains have been announced for ECoR's jurisdiction- Bhubaneswar-Hazrat Nizamuddin express (weekly) via Sambalpur, Howrah-Chennai express (bi-weekly) via Bhadrak, Duvvada and Gudur, Puri–Sai Nagar Shirdi express (weekly) Via Sambalpur, Titlagarh, Raipur Nagpur and Bhusawal, Puri–Ajmer express (weekly) via Abu-Road Tirupati-Bhubaneswar express (weekly) via Visakhapatnam, Gandhidham-Visakhapatnam weekly express Kamakhya-Bangalore weekly express, Puri-Ajmer weekly express, Tirupati-Bhubaneswar weekly express, Visakhapatnam-Jodhpur weekly express and Visakhapatnam-Kollam express.

The Railway minister has announced a new wagon maintenance workshop at Kalahandi in south Odisha and a skill development centre at Koraput.

The Budget has also extended three trains-Bhubaneswar-Bhawanipatna express to Junagarh, Lokmanya Tilak express terminus from Bhubaneswar to Puri and Puri-Darbhanga express to Jaynagar.

While the Khurda Road-Khurda town and Lanjigarh-Junagarh new lines are expected to be commissioned in 2012-13, the Khurda Road-Sunakhela line is scheduled for completion in 2013-14.