ROURKELA: Almost two years after two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were filed to expedite land acquisition for the much-delayed Talcher-Bimlagarh new rail line project, things seem to be moving, albeit at a slow pace.
While hearing the PIL of Sachetan Nagarik Manch (SNM) filed by PP Ray and 31 others, Orissa High Court (HC) Chief Justice Dr S Muralidhar had recently directed the Odisha Government to file its response on the land acquisition status by October 10.
The direction came after the counsel for the SNM Sisir Das vehemently opposed the delay claiming not a single inch of land was physically handed over to the East Coast Railway (ECoR) in Sundargarh and Deogarh districts in past 19 years after the project was sanctioned in 2003-04. Das said the court also asked him to file his reply by the same date.