Former Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai in a letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has urged for establishment of a Railway Division at Jajpur Road and a Jajpur Road-Dhamra railway line to provide rail connectivity to Jajpur Town.
Dr Ghadai wrote that the Jajpur Road railway station, which was established in the pre-Independence period of 1896, is a major station in the State and has played a major role in both passenger and commercial sectors.
The Kalinganagar industrial zone, which is one of the major steel hubs in Asia, has been declared a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone by the Central Government, with the Sukinda Chromite Mining Area, which has 75 per cent chromium ore in the country, besides possessing a giant iron ore mine. The Angul-Sukinda railway line will provide it connectivity in near future, he said.
Ghadai further said Odisha has been instrumental in boosting railway revenue through its industries and mines. The Jajpur Road railway station has always depended on the Khordha Road railway division, which is about 150 km away. Therefore, the establishment of a railway
division on Jajpur Road has been a long-standing demand of the locals. He said for a railway division, former MLA of Korei and current MLA of Sukinda, Er Preeti Ranjan Ghadai has led several rail strikes.
Besides, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has repeatedly written to the Union Railway Ministry to set up three railway divisions including Jajpur Road, Rayagada and Rourkela. Besides, he urged the Railway Minister to provide rail connectivity from Jajpur Road to Dhamra via Jajpur Town and Akhandalmani area