Odisha Jan Morcha president and Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra on Tuesday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to seek support of all political parties to fight against the proposed division of the East Coast Railway (ECoR). “The Chief Minister shouldn’t sit idle sending a letter to the Centre. To protect the legitimate rights of the State, he should take support of all political parties to fight against the conspiracy made by the Centre for division of the East Coast Railway,” Mohapatra said in a statement.
He also suggested that Patnaik convene an all-party meeting in this regard soon. Stating that he has been demanding inclusion of all concerned railway stations in the ECoR zone, Mohapatra said the Centre has taken initiative to separate the Vishakhapatnam Railway Division from the ECoR and include it in the proposed new railway zone in Andhra Pradesh. He further stated that Odisha would lose around Rs 25,000 crore as the Centre has made a plan to cut a major portion of the Central Plan and assistance funds the State deserves to get as per the 14th Finance Commission.