Odisha seeks more funds for railway infrastructure

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking more funds from the Centre for strengthening the railway infrastructure in the state.

Referring to a letter he earlier wrote to the prime minister, Patnaik said the rail route length and its density in Odisha is well below the national average while the sustainability is lower than that of neighbouring states.

"In contrast, gross earnings from various stations in the state is estimated to be in excess of Rs.1,400 crore during 2013-2014," Patnaik said in the letter.

"I would request you to kindly ensure allocation of a sizable part of the revenues generated from Odisha within the state itself for strengthening and expanding infrastructure," Patnaik said in his letter, a copy of which is in the possession of IANS.

Saying that his government has taken steps to create greenfield ports that shall be the country's gateway to international maritime trade as well as for coastal shipping between east and west India, Patnaik also sought extension of the eastern dedicated freight corridor to Odisha.

"I have been requesting the ministry of railways to put in place a time-bound infrastructure upgradation arrangement for the ports coming up on the Odisha coast. A synchronised development plan between the ports and related rail connectivity is a necessity for maximising economic gains," he said.

"In this context, the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dhankuni should be extended to Brahmapur to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and vast northern and central hinterland of the country," the letter said.

The chief minister, in his letter, requested the prime minister to treat some proposed rail links passing through the state as national projects.

These include construction of Bhadrachalam Road-Talcher rail link, Sambalpur-Brahmapur new rail link and Rayagada-Gopalpur rail link.

"These projects should be treated as national project," Patnaik said in his letter.