Locals resent poor rail connectivity

The New Indian Express, Nov 2, 2007

BHAWANIPATNA: The district remains a shadow zone of railways though there is good scope for rail connectivity with the State Capital, Hyderabad and Mumbai. To press for the demand, Kalahandi Rail Jatri Sangha has been campaigning for better rail connectivity for more than a decade.

With their demands falling on deaf ears, on October 22 District Collector Pramod Chandra Patnaik had requested the General Manager of East Coast Railways for extension of Bhubaneswar- Balangir Inter-city and up to Kesinga to cater to the needs of a large number of passengers of the district.

The extension would also help the district have direct train link with the State Capital.

The Collector stated that daily more than 700 passengers from Bhawanipatna, Dharamgarh and Lanjigarh depend on either bus services to reach Bhubaneswar or have to go to Titlagarh in Balangir district to catch a train to the capital.

At present, there is no direct train service to Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Hyderabad at Kesinga railway station which is the main station of the district, alleged sangha general secretary Jatin Das. The district has 53-km rail link with five stations, including Kesinga.

The sangha has also demanded extension of Bhubaneswar-Balangir Inter-city up to Kesinga, Bhubaneswar-Kurla Express to Kesinga, Raipur-Bhubaneswar Inter-city to Kesinga and introduction of Sambalpur-Hyderabad Express to cater to the needs of passengers of Kalahandi and neighbouring districts. Das has threatened to stage an agitation if their demands were not conceded.