The BJP demanded immediate extension of Nuapada-Gunupur rail line up to Theruvali, an industrial pocket of tribal dominated Rayagada district, which will connect coastal districts of Odisha and ensure connectivity to the Gopalpur Port. Besides, the party claimed the rail route would boost economic development of the backward region.
It may be mentioned here that the Nuapada-Gunupur line which was functioning since British days was provided broad gauge (BG) during the AB Vajpayee led NDA Government and is still operative where only a single DMU is running between Gunupur and Puri. The train takes ten hours to cover a distance of about 250 km because of a large number of stoppages.
The extension of the Gunupur line to Thrivalli would reduce the journey time by six hours. The preliminary survey for Nuapada-Theruvalli BG line was made in the past at an estimated cost of `380 crores. But subsequently it was abandoned during the Congress-led UPA rule.
The Railways should give priority on the proposed extension of the rail line to Theruvalli in the interest of the KBK district and to provide an alternate rail route to Bhubaneswar and New Delhi via Brahmapur-Paralakhemundi, Rayagada-Bhawanipatna covering the hinterlands of the KBK region, the BJP demanded.
Senior BJP leader and former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda submitted a comprehensive memorandum and took up a detailed discussion with the Minister of State of Railways Manoj Sinha and other top officials at Delhi last week. During the discussion, Panda said that there is an urgent need of rail service between Paralakhemundi and Bhubaneswar for which a night express can be put to service to facilitate officials, lawyers to attend to Government work and High Court.
Till this arrangement is done, the fast DMU which is currently running between Palasa and Bhubaneswar can be extended to Gunupur with limited stoppages so as to cater to the emerging public need. Besides, the proposed train bearing No. 58505/6 announced in the current budget to ply between Gunupur and Visakhapatnam should be introduced immediately, he demanded. Panda said that, the Minister had assured to expedite the matter.