‘Railways’ 2013-14 earnings in State amount to Rs 14k cr’
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make adequate budgetary allocations for development of the railway sector in Odisha.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Patnaik said, “In contrast to the gross earnings of Rs 14,000 crore of the Railways from various stations in Odisha during 2013-14 fiscal, the railway route length and density in the State is far less than its neighbouring States which is much below the national average.”
He said while the Centre has initiated several ambitious projects like dedicated freight corridors aligned with mega industrial hubs, national road expressways and high speed train projects in other States, it has set aside the interest of Odisha, where some of the country’s largest investments in steel, aluminium and power sectors are coming up.
Stating that the volume of investment in the State in diverse sectors at different stages is over Rs 8,85,000 crore, Patnaik said State Government has taken steps to set up greenfield ports that would be the country’s gateways to international maritime trade and coastal shipping between the East coast and West coast.
“As it is expected that the growth in the railway traffic would be over 300 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) in the next five years, the Railway Minister should put in place time-bound infrastructure upgradation arrangements for the upcoming ports in the State,” the Chief Minister said while demanding extension of the eastern dedicated freight corridor of ludhiana-Dankuni to Brahmapur to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and northern and central hinterlands.
Referring to the backward districts that are affected by Maoist menace, Patnaik has said rail services in these regions would foster development that would also act as a counteractive force against Maoist presence.
In this context, he said construction of Bhadrachalam Road-Talcher rail link via Malkangiri, Jeypore, lanjigarh; Sambalpur-Brahmapur rail link via Phulbani and Rayagada-Gopalpur rail link via Bhismagiri assume much significance. All the proposed projects should be treated as national projects, he urged.
He also requested the Prime Minister to expedite the Khordha-Balangir railway line, for which the State Government has committed to allocate land in the Daspalla-Balangir stretch, free of cost, with 50 per cent share in the construction cost for this project. Besides, Patnaik also requested Modi to ask the Railway Ministry to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for its proposed dedicated rail corridors in the Angul-Talcher coal belt, Basundhara coal belt in Jharsuguda-Sundargarh and Bansapani-Nayagarh iron ore division.
“This apart, the Railway Ministry should be advised to expedite the construction work of world-class railway stations in Bhubaneswar and Puri. The State Government has already informed the Ministry to bear 50 per cent cost of construction of the state-of-the-art railway station in Bhubaneswar,” he added.
The Chief Minister also said railway stations at important district centres and tourist destinations need special attention to provide multifunctional complexes and upgraded passenger amenities.
“Besides, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack region, which is planned as mega urban complex, also needs to have an urban transport system,” Patnaik said.