BHUBANESWAR: Even as Odisha has received the highest-ever allocation for railway infrastructure development in the Union budget 2023-24, there has been absolutely no or little allocation for several key projects proposed by the state government.
The state government had sought Rs 1000 crore for 10 new railway lines, which were sanctioned long back. None of the proposed projects, however, found a mention in the railway allocation, dashing the hopes of the locals. A proposal was also sent seeking provisioning of Rs 100 crore for the 142 km Nawapara Road-Bargarh Road via Padampur line that had heated up the political climate during the Padampur bypoll.
The assurance of Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw during the bypoll campaign notwithstanding, no allocation has been made for the project.
The state had also demanded Rs 50 crore for the 80 km Paradip-Dhamra rail link, Rs 800 crore for 154 km Talcher-Bimlagarh, Rs 300 crore for Jeypore-Malkangiri, Rs 300 crore for Nuapada-Gunupur broad gauge line, Rs 100 crore for Digha-Jaleswar besides Rs 4,500 crore for other on-going projects and modernisation of railway stations.
However, the Ministry of Railways has allocated Rs 10 crore for Digha-Jaleswar, Rs 300 crore for Talcher-Bimlagarh, Rs 115 crore for Jeypore Malkangiri and Rs 50 crore for the Nuapada-Gunupur line.
Alleging that the Centre is misleading people in the garb of the highest allocation, the BJD on Saturday said Odisha was once again neglected in the railway provisions for the 2023-24 fiscal. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said neither a single new railway line has been sanctioned for the state in the last five years nor a passenger train has been introduced to districts having no train connectivity.
“The Union government has collected approximately Rs 2 lakh crore revenue from Odisha in the railway sector in last nine years. In return, the state has got how much? Is it not a step-motherly attitude towards Odisha?” he asked.
Another BJD spokesperson Shreemayee Mishra said the state government has been providing land free of cost and bearing 50 per cent of the construction cost for early completion of railway projects. But unfortunately, the Centre continues to neglect the state and its people in several districts, which are yet to get railway connectivity, she added.