BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Opposition Congress has demanded that Odisha should seek at least Rs 10,000 crore for railway sector in 2021-22 Union Budget, Speaker of the Assembly Surjya Narayan Patro said he will convene a meeting of the House Committee soon to discuss the requirement of the State.
The Speaker who is the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Railways, however, said it would not be possible for the panel to travel to New Delhi in view of the Covid-19 pandemic to submit a memorandum to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. A decision will be taken about the next course only at the meeting of the committee, he said.
The Speaker said different Assembly committees have started meeting as the pandemic has subsided a little. Three committees on border dispute, power and environment headed by him have already met during the last week. “The Railway Committee meeting will be convened soon,” he said.
The State government, during the pre-budget consultation with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has sought Rs 7,200 crore for Odisha in 2021-22 budget for development of rail infrastructure. However, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has demanded that an all party delegation of the Assembly should meet the Railway Minister at New Delhi to place the demand.
Senior BJD legislator Amar Prasad Satpathy said the committee will discuss increased funding for various ongoing railway projects in the 2021-22 budget. Last year, a delegation of assembly committee had met the Railway Minister at New Delhi on February 12 to submit memorandum containing Odisha’s demand in the railway sector, though the budget was placed on February 1.
In 2020-21, Odisha’s share in the railway budget was Rs 4,373 crore, a decrease of 27 per cent from 2019-20, when the State had received allocations of Rs 5,993 crore. This year also the Union Budget is going to be placed on February 1. A delegation of MPs from Odisha should meet the Railway Minister at New Delhi to submit the memorandum, said OPCC spokesperson Nishikanta Mishra and added that the State government should demand enhanced funding for completion of the ongoing railway projects including Khurda Road-Balangir railway project.