While the action committee of Talcher-Bimalagarh rail line is preparing for another bout of agitation against inordinate delay in construction work, Rourkela MlA Dilip Ray has added fuel to it by putting the State Government in the dock.
He has alleged that the pace at which the project is moving, it may take more than 100 years to complete. Neither the Railway authorities, nor the Central and State Governments seem to be concerned over such a delay in granting the requisite clearances, Ray alleged.
According to Ray, the demand for Talcher-Bimlagarh rail line dates back to the year 1960 and there have been many mass movements, the most notable being the 1969 agitation under the Student Action Committee, Rourkela. Rs 645.05 crore has been sanctioned for the project till date but the executing agency has been able to utilise only Rs 167.15 crore.
A sum of Rs 478 crore has been lying idle which is largely an outcome of the callous attitude of the State Government, he stated.
The State Government allotted land free of cost for the Khorda-Balangir rail line and also decided to bear the additional costs for the project but unfortunately, a commitment of similar type is missing as far as this project is concerned, he said.
The work could be completed within the stipulated time frame if construction is undertaken from both the ends i.e Talcher and Bimlagarh, he opined.
He further stated that it will be more than five years now and the MoEF is yet to give its clearance for the project.
The Chief Minister in a bid to the expedite the process of granting forest clearance to several infrastructural projects had directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to establish a dedicated cell for this purpose but that decision seems to remain in pen and paper only.
90 per cent land acquisition has been achieved but the unavailability of clearances by the Ministry of Environment and Forest stand as an impediment to the execution of the project, Ray lamented.
In this context, writing a letter to the Chief Minister over the excessive delay being witnessed in the construction of Talcher-Bimlagarh railline, Ray said he has submitted three suggestions.
Merely demanding more money for the State in the Railway budget is not enough; the State should also ensure the effective utilisation of the money sanctioned by ensuring the approval of necessary clearances for the projects.
The State Government should also consider appointing a Cabinet Minister whose responsibility would be to facilitate smoother implementation of major infrastructural projects and do away with the bottlenecks, be it of the railway or other projects of Central Government, he stated.
Rourkela, by all parameters, qualifies to be declared a Railway division and efforts must be made to make it one, Ray said.
The work of the Talcher-Bimlagarh rail line will get an impetus if it is executed under the administrative control of the Rourkela Railway Division.
He also hoped that the Chief Minister will give a thoughtful consideration to his suggestions and would do the needful to ensure thatthe existing bottlenecksare removed without further delay.