JHARSUGUDA/UMERKOTE: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a meeting with officials of East Coast Railway and South Eastern Railway in Jharsuguda on Monday. Vaishnaw, who is on a two-day visit to the industrial hub, took up Railways and Postal department-related issues in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Bargarh districts.
Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari, Odisha BJP secretary Tankadhar Tripathi, Sambalpur MP Nitesh Gangdev, Rengali MLA Nauri Nayak, Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete, Birmitrapur MLA Shankar Oram and Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra were present in the meeting.
Addressing mediapersons, the Minister said discussions were held on stoppages, LC crossing, road over bridge and closure of Fatak Railway Station of Sambalpur. “We have discussed everything and will take decision in few weeks. Our main motive is to listen to problems of people directly,” Vaishnaw said.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti Bishweshwar Tudu visited Nabarangpur district on the day. During his tour, he went to Umerkote, Papadahandi, Dabugaon and other areas. In a meeting at the Circuit House, he reviewed ongoing projects on drinking water and development of schools for tribal children.
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 3,323 crore in the first phase to supply water to households by 2023, of which two projects are under construction in the district, Tudu said. He accused the State government of rampant corruption in MGNREGS funds.
Collector Kamal Lochan Mishra and other district-level officials attended the meeting. During the visit, Tudu criticized Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to Kalahandi and constituency of Home Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra amid the furore over Mamita Meher murder case.