CM sends wishlist on railway projects

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Wednesday demanded a package for Odisha in the forthcoming railway budget as the route length and rail density in the State is well below national average and also substantially lower vis-a-vis the neighbors. The package includes proposals for enhanced provisions for ongoing projects, sanctioning of new lines, surveys, introduction of new trains, extension and increase in frequency of existing mail/express trains, improved passenger amenities at stations and on board. In separate letters to the Prime Minister and the  Railway Minister, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has demanded allocation of a sizeable part of the revenue generated from Odisha for the State for strengthening and expanding rail infrastructure. Gross earnings from various stations are estimated to be more than Rs 7500 crore during 2010-11.  In his letter to Manmohan Singh, Naveen said that the Centre has initiated many ambitious projects like dedicated freight corridor aligned with mega industrial hubs, national road expressways and high speed train projects which have completely bypassed Odisha. However, some of the country’s largest investments in the steel, aluminium and power sectors are coming up in the State.Naveen said his Government has planned setting up of greenfield ports dotting the state’s coastline which will be the country’s gateway to international maritime trade as well as a logistics channel between the eastern and western coasts. A synchronised development plan between the ports and rail connectivity is a necessity for maximising economic gains.The Chief Minister demanded that the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni should be extended to Berhampur to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and the vast northern and southern hinterland of the country.The construction of Bhadrachalam Road-Talcher rail link via Malkangiri, Jeypore, Lanjigarh, Sambalpur-Berhampur line via Phulbani and Rayagada-Gopalpur rail-link via Bhismagiri should be expedited as these areas are untouched by railways. These projects should also be declared as national projects, he said.Because of proposed investments in steel, aluminium, coal and petrochemicals, the Chief Minister also proposed dedicated rail corridors in Angul-Talcher coal belt and Banspani-Nayagarh iron ore region.