The Pioneer, Nov 24, 2011
While political leaders cutting across party lines have failed to impress upon the Ministry of Railways to provide connectivity from Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters of Kalahandi, two non-resident Odias (NROs) from the district have taken up the issue with the Centre for providing such facility.
Digambara Patra and Madhusmita Panda have urged the Union Minister Railways to start train service from Bhawanipatna as the railway line connecting Lanjigarh Road to Bhawanipatna has already been completed for the past one year. No train is operating from Bhawanipatna to connect major towns in Odisha and rest of the country, they have pointed out.
The process is unfortunately lingering due to negligence by the railway authorities, they rue. Therefore, they have requested Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi to ask the concerned authorities to operate trains from Bhawanipatna by January 26 next to cities like Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Visakhapatnam and extend the Howrah-Titilagarh Ispat Express to Bhawanipatna.
Dr Patra and Panda have also urged Dr Trivedi to provide `100 crore in the Railway Budget 2011-12 to for a Kantabanji-Jeypore line, which is considered as heart line connecting Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput districts of the KBK region and take up extension work of the Junagarh-Amaguada line immediately.
Similarly, a survey for Bhilai-Rajim-Debhog-Dharamgarh-Junagarh, Lanjigarh Road-Gopalpur and Bhawanipatna-Kesinga railway lines should be given importance for infrastructure development in this Maoist-prone backward region, they have argued.
It is also important to speed up the progress of the under-survey Lanjigarh Road-Phulbani-Talcher line connecting Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Titilagarh (Balangir district), Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts with Bhubaneswar by joining with the Khurda-Balangir line near Puruna Cuttack (or Charichouk), they have pointed out.
This would not only bring a first-time railway network to Kandhamal district, it would also make large parts of the inaccessible KBK and Kandhamal regions accessible from the State capital directly and help counter the Maoist activities in the regions.
Besides, the rail line would facilitate alumina and coal transportation for Nalco from its refinery at Damanjodi to its smelter at Angul by reducing a distance about 100 km, Dr Patra and Panda further pointed out.
Kalahandia bats for connectivity
Tathya.in, Bhawanipatna : 23/November/2011
While political leaders cutting across party line have failed to impress upon the Union Ministry of Railways to provide connectivity from the district headquarters of Kalahandi, a determined Kalahandia has taken up the issue with the Centre for providing such facilities.
Digambara Patra, a leading NRO, who has always bats for the cause of Kalahandi has urged the Union Minister Railways to start train service from Bhawanipatna as the railway line connecting Lanjigarh road to Bhawanipatna has already been completed for the past one year.
However, no train is operating from Bhawanipatna to connect with major towns in Odisha and rest of the country.
Unfortunately the process is lingering due to serious negligence by East Coast Railway Zone, rue Dr.Patra.
Therefore he has requested Dinesh Trivedi to ask the authorities to operate trains from Bhawanipatna by Jan 26, 2012 to towns like Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, etc and extend Howrah-Titilagarh Ispat express to Bhawanipatna.
He has also urged Dr.Trivedi that in the Railway Budget 2011-12, to make arrangement of Rs.100 crore for Kantabanji – Jeypore line considered as heart line connecting Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput districtsof KBK and take up extension work of Junagarh-Amaguada line immediately.
Similarly survey for Bhilai - Rajim - Debhog - Dharamgarh – Junagarh, Lanjigarh road-Gopalpur, Bhawanipatna-Kesinga railway lines should be given importance for the infrastructure development in this Maoist prone backward region.
It is also important to speed up the progress of under survey Lanjigarh road - Phulbani – Talcher line connecting Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Titilagarh (Balangir dist), Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts with Bhubaneswar by joining with Khurda-Balangir line near Puruna Cuttack (or Charichok).
This will not only bring first time railway network to Kandhamal district but also make accessible to large part of inaccessible KBK and Kandhamal region from the state capital directly and help in countering Maoist activities in the region.
Beside that this the rail line will facilitate alumina/coal transportation for NALCO from its refinery in Damajodi to its Smelter in Angul by reducing distance about 100 km, said Dr.Patra.
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