Nabarangpur continues to miss the train

Expressbuzz, Jan 13, 2011
NABARANGPUR: Even after six decades of agitations and demands, a railway line in Nabarangpur district continues to be elusive.


Home to over 10 lakh people, Nabarangpur district comes under schedule area of the Constitution dominated by tribals and Dalits. The district these days is making headlines due to increased Maoist activities. People here feel it is unfortunate that in a poor and backward district like Nabarangpur, development of rail network has so far not received much attention even in the post-Independence era. Absence of a railway connectivity is being attributed as a primary reason for backwardness of the district and heightened Maoist activities.

As many as seven districts, including Nabarangpur and Malkangiri in the State, do not have any railway connectivity.

Intelligentsia here said that the Indian Railways makes huge profit from its operation in Orissa. “The current policy of the Railways is flawed and detrimental to the backward areas like the KBK. Of all zones, SECR, ECoR and SER are the top profit-making zones. The profit mostly comes from transporting minerals available in the backward districts of Orissa,” they said.

MP Pradeep Majhi said he had urged the government to consider railway project in KBK region as national project. He has demanded early completion of Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh-Nabarangpur-Jeypore-Malkangiri-Bhadrachalam line.

Survey work for this line was completed long back and work from Lanjigarh Road to Junagarh in Kalahandi district is going on. This line will pass through most of the Maoist-infested and tribal-dominated areas of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.