The Rail Roko call given by the BJP in Ganjam block on August 16 was called off on Wednesday as the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has, meanwhile, extended the Bhubaneswar-Khallikote DMU train up to Chhatraur since Tuesday.
The Public Action Committee of Humma had given a notice to the ECoR six months back demanding extension of the DMU train up to Chhatrapur, changing of timing of the Gunupur-Puri Passenger train to enable the commuters to reach Puri in early evening instead of at dead of night and stoppage of the Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express at Humma.
Since the ECoR has extended the DMU train up to Chhatrapur and has changed the timings of the Gunupur-Puri Passenger keeping public perceptions in mind, the Rail Roko call has been called off, said BJP leader and former Ganjam Block Chairman Surath Pahan, who was spearheading the movement for last six months.
On arrival of the extended train to the Humma railway station, former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda broke a coconut and felicitated the staff members of the train as a token of public appreciation. Former Zilla Parishad President Dharanidhar Behera and State BJP executive member Saroj Sabat were present.