BALASORE: Neglected by successive Governments so far as rail connectivity is concerned, North Odisha looks forward to the Railway Budget to be presented in the Parliament on Thursday.
Ranked as one of the highest revenue generating regions of the State, the citizens have high expectations from this budget.
Sources said of the 2,500 km of railways in the State, Balasore has around 108 km followed by Mayurbhanj 112 km, Jajpur 131 km, Keonjhar 165 km and Bhadrak 97 km, including 62 km private railway of Dhamra port.
While railways in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts are still under South Eastern Railway (SER) division, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Keonjhar districts fall under jurisdiction of East Coast Railway (ECoR). There has been no significant development of Ranital-Laxmannath, Rupsa-Bangriposi railway lines and Balasore, Baripada stations as they fall under the jurisdiction of SER. This, despite the fact that Balasore alone generates a revenue of `80 crore annually.
A retired bureaucrat Baidyanath Sarangi said though a proposal for making Balasore a separate railway division was mooted in 1987, it is yet to materialise.
Balasore is strategically located and occupies a place of importance on the defence map due to presence of defence establishments and is also home to several industrial houses while a government medical college and hospital and a satellite centre of AIIMS are in the offing.
“Declared as a model station in 1993, Balasore railway station still lacks basic infrastructures and amenities. Though a multi functional complex, an out-patient department and diagnostic centre at Balasore were announced in 2010 Budget, no work has started,” pointed out Sarangi.
This apart, long standing demands for conversion of narrow gauge Balasore-Nilagiri line to broad gauge, introduction of an express train for Mumbai via Balasore, extension of Rupsa-Bangriposi railway line upto Tata Nagar to connect the coastal town with Chennai-Howrah line are yet to be met. Digha-Jaleswar railway line has also not seen the light of the day.
Lok Sabha MP Rabindra Kumar Jena said he has demanded a passenger train for Nilagiri, a rail corridor from Digha to Baliapal connecting beach tourism destinations at Talasari and Dagara besides construction of new railway line upto Tata Nagar have been proposed.
Meanwhile, the residents of Mayurbhanj demanded new railway lines and more train connectivity. At present, only two passenger trains ply on the route.
