BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Sunday alleged that the decision of the Centre to bifurcate the Waltair division and remove its revenue-generating part from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to create a new South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone is meant to appease Andhra Pradesh as the ruling TDP in the state is a constituent of the NDA government.
BJD leader Bhrugu Baxipatra, former MP Pradeep Majhi and Paralakhemundi MLA Rupesh Panigrahi told mediapersons that the decision to divide the Waltair division will have severe economic repercussions for Odisha. Expressing strong reservations over the decision, they questioned the silence of the state government in this regard.
The BJD leaders demanded that Odisha’s regions currently under South Eastern Railway including Jareikela, Bandamunda, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Belpahad, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts should be transferred to ECoR to strengthen the state’s railway infrastructure. This shift will ensure that Odisha’s interests are protected and enhance the state’s economic prospects, they said.
The BJD leaders, though, lauded the decision to create a new division at Rayagada.