Describing the proposal of Union Minister for Panchayati Raj V Kishor Chandra Deo to shift the headquarters of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) from Bhubaneswar to Vishakhapatnam as a conspiracy of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) against Odisha, members of the ruling BJD on Thursday launched a three-day state-wide protest against it.
BJD leaders took out a procession from Master Canteen square here to Bhubaneswar railway station where they staged demonstration shouting anti-UPA slogans. The BJD leaders also staged a demonstration in front of the Cuttack railway station.
Deo’s proposal has sparked off strong reactions from all political parties including the Congress. The Union Minister had submitted the proposal before the Antony Committee, which is looking into the situation arising out of the decision to form a separate Telangana State, to shift the headquarters of ECoR to Visakhapatnam from Bhubaneswar.
The Minister had also suggested shifting of the South Eastern Railway (SER) headquarters, which is now located in Kolkata, to Bhubaneswar as a compromise. However, the proposal has been described by both Congress and BJD leaders as unnecessary.
“ECoR came to Odisha after a long struggle in 2003. This is a conspiracy by the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and an insult to Odia people,” senior BJD leader and State Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has demanded that all zones and divisions in Odisha which are not in the ECoR should be included in it with headquarters in Bhubaneswar. There should be no question of shifting of the headquarters from Bhubaneswar, OPCC president Jaydev Jena said and asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to submit a proposal before the Centre and the Railway Ministry in this regard.
Though the BJD is in power for the last 13 years, the Chief Minister never submitted a proposal to the Centre to increase the boundaries of the ECoR, Jena said.