Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Saturday strongly protested the reduction of Rs. 220 crore from the original budgetary allocation made by the railways for the state in 2012-2013.
About 30 legislators and senior party leaders led by youth wing president Sanjay Das Burma marched from the party headquarters to the Raj Bhaban, the official residence of Governor M.C. Bhandare in state capital Bhubaneswar.
They also submitted a memorandum to Governor M.C. Bhandare which was addressed to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Odisha is now in the midst of a strong industrialisation programme and a number of industries and ports are in the pipeline, so there is need for greater connectivity with the hinterlands of the state.
Reduction in the budgetary allocation has greatly hampered the development process in the state, Burma told reporters.
"We strongly protest against this step-motherly attitude of the railways to the state. We demand restoration of the budgetary allocation made to the state for 2012-2013," he said.
Burma said the railways had made a budgetary allocation of a total of Rs. 723 crore for 2012-2013, against a total projected state demand of Rs. 2,345 crore.
However the railway later reduced Rs. 186 crore in June and subsequently reduced Rs. 34 crore further, he said.