Nayagarh MlA Arun Sahu, Daspalla MlA Purna Chandra Nayak, Kantananji MlA Ayub Khan, Begunia MlA Prasant Kumar Jagdev, MPs Prassana Patsani and Pinaki Misra, all of the BJD, submitted a memorandum to the General Manager, East Coast Railways, on the tardy progress of the Khurda-Bolangir railway line on Thursday.
They urged the ECoR to take measures to complete the project by 2021, which is its deadline.
They said that only 80 km of the Khurda-Bolangir rail line of 289 km has been completed so far. Out 112 km from the Khurda side, only 65 km has been completed.
They stated that the State Government has been very forthcoming by bearing 50 per cent of the cost and providing land free of cost. While presently only two work stations, one at Nayagarh and another one at Bhainsarpali in Bolangir, are functioning, they need to be upgraded and one more work station each at Boudh and Daspalla need to be established.
They also raised a point over the downsizing of the workforce which they apprehended may affect the project work. Four JEs from 12 have been transferred to Vizag. For East Coast Railway the Khurda-Bolangir railway line involves 70 per cent of total work, and hence there was no justification to downsize the work force, they said.