Participating in a debate in the recently concluded Monsoon session of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha BJD member Narendra Swain asked the Minister Railway if there was any plan to increase of lokmanya Tilak Express from Bhubaneswar/Puri to Mumbai from three times in a week to daily and stoppage of passenger trains at all stations on Sambalpur-Angul , Kotavalasa-Kirondol and Rayagada-Koraput lines.
Replying to Swain, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said that increase in frequency of other non daily services from Odisha to Maharashtra was not feasible due to operational constraints. The Minister further made it clear to Swain that there was no proposal to introduce new train services on Sambalpur-Angul, Kottavalasa-Kirandul and Rayagada- Koraput route and stoppage of all passengers trains at all stations is not feasible. Notably, in this context, earlier Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik in a letter to the Railway Minister had demanded for a new AC express train to be introduced from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai naming it after Buxi Jagabandhu as a fitting tribute to the iconic freedom fighter.
Pattnaik had also requested to increase the frequency of lokmanya Tilak Express from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai from three times in a week to daily. The Chief Minister in his letter had categorically mentioned that a large number of people from Odisha travel to Mumbai, Pune and different places of Maharashtra for business, service, education, healthcare and tourism purpose and similarly a large number of people from Maharashtra also visit the holy city of Puri and other places of Odisha regularly.