Congress Member of Parliament Deepak Baij on Wednesday said a direct rail line between Bastar and state capital Raipur be laid and lamented that despite government earning crores of rupee from mineral-rich Bastar, the development of the backward region is overlooked.
Raising his voice under rule-377 in Lok Sabha , Baij said state capital is around 300 kms from Bastar district but there is no means of rail transport between the two areas.
At present the Bastar people had to use road transport to reach the state capital, Raipur which is a very cumbersome and is also expensive, he said.
There is a rail connectivity between the two areas via Odisha but it takes 15-16 long hours to reach the destination, he added. If rail-line is laid between Bastar and Raipur one can travel the distance in mere four hours.
Thus, there is an urgent need to lay rail network between Raipur and Bastar for speedy development of the backward Bastar region, he said. This will make available and affordable a convenient means of transport between the two areas, he added.