BHUBANESWAR: A delegation of state BJP MPs led by Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday met Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking an early resolution to the long-pending land allotment issue of the Railway Employees Cultural Association (RECA) in Kharagpur.
The delegation submitted a memorandum requesting regularisation of around 5,915 sq mtr of land located in the New Settlement area of Khargpur in favour of RECA. The matter has remained unresolved for three decades.
They stated that in 1999, the MPs from Odisha had written to the then prime minister in this regard while former Union minister Debendra Pradhan had also taken up the issue with then Railway minister Ram Naik.
As per the memorandum, RECA has played a significant role since 1989 in promoting cultural unity and social welfare among railway employees in Kharagpur, a multicultural railway township. “The association has also contributed to the promotion of Odia culture through the establishment of a Jagannath temple, along with other public utility facilities such as a school and community infrastructure on the land,” it said.
The MPs pointed out that internal reports of the Railways indicate that RECA has been in possession and use of the land for a long time. Recommendations for regularisation have reportedly also been made earlier by the divisional railway manager (Kharagpur) and other officials of the South Eastern Railway.
“However, undue delay in formal allotment has hampered the association’s developmental activities,” the delegation said further, urging the Railway minister to treat the matter as a “special case” and ensure early allotment of the land for the benefit of railway employees and the public.