The demand for development of railway network in Mayurbhanj is now gaining momentum here. Demonstrations have been recently held across the district in support of this popular demand. Different organisations, having diverse political affiliations, and people cutting across party lines, have been found participating in the demonstrations, organised at Rairangpur, Udala, Karanjia Betnoti and Bangriposi, besides Baripada.
According to these demonstrators, Mayurbhanj has long been neglected as far as development of railway network in this tribal district is concerned. The long-pending and reasonable demands of connecting Tata-Badampahar railway line with Rupsa-Bangriposi railway line, construction of Budhamara-Chakulia line and Talcher-Kharagpur line (via Mayurbhanj) and railway connection of Keonjhargarh with Badampahar are yet to be fulfilled, they said. And projects of rail linking of Nilagiri with Udala (22 km), construction of Kharagpur-Bhadrachalam (875 km) rail route passing through Mayurbhanj still remain far-fetched dreams for local populace, they lamented.
Once Rupsa-Bangriposi broad gauge railway line is extended up to Gorumahisani to make it meet Tata-Badampahar broad gauge line, there will emerge an alternative, shorter Delhi-Puri rail connection via Baripada and Rairangpur, the agitators pointed out. Similarly once Kharagpur- Bhadrachalam project is materialised, it will pass through Mayurbhanj's Sarat, Kaptipada, Udala, Khunta, Baripada, Suliapada etc and will greatly benefit people of district, they said. Meanwhile, conscious intellectuals here now see a ray of hope in present Modi regime at Centre and expect a major breakthrough in sphere of railway network development in Mayurbhanj.