Ekla chalo for rail coach

Tathya.in, April 4, 2011
Bhubaneswar:4/April/2011
Gobardhan Dash has decided to ‘ekla chalo’ over the demand for a rail coach factory in Kalahandi.


Lawmaker from Junagarh in Kalahandi in protest walked out of the Odisha House and sat down under the statue of Mahatma Gandhi to draw attention.

For last 3-4 days the Congress lawmaker was demanding an adjournment motion to be tabled on the House on the issue of setting up a rail wagon factory in the most backward region of Odisha-Kalahandi.

However though he tried his best to raise the issue, but finding no support from both opposition and others, Mr.Dash rushed outside of the Assembly and sat down under the statue of the Father of the nation.

Speaking to scribes, Mr.Dash said that though land is available in Kalahandi, BJD Government is adamant to set up the proposed rail coach factory in Ganjam district.

He said that unused government lands are available and he has collected all the details from the District Administration.

Mr.Dash said that sufficient land is available in different railway stations in the district, which can be utilized for this purpose.

However the State Government is adamant over establishing the rail coach factory near Berhampur in Ganjam district.

It may be pointed out Bhakta Charan Das, Congress MP from Kalahandi is also demanding for the same since long time.

Not only the MP is raising the issue in Lok Sabha, but also he has met the Chairman Indian Railway Board to impress upon him about the suitability of establishing the rail coach factory in Kalahandi.

Apart from that Non Resident Odias (NRO)s led by Digambara Patra, who is teaching in American University of Beirut is trying hard for the rail project.

Dr.Patra along with is friends and well wishers are flooding PMO, CMO and Ministry of Railways with e-mails demanding the rail wagon factory in the tribal and most backward region of the country.

Congress legislator stages dharna

Expressbuzz, April 5, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: Demanding establishment of the proposed rail wagon factory in the backward district of Kalahandi, Congress MLA Gobardhan Dash today launched a dharna in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on the premises of theOrissa Assembly.


Dash, an MLA from Junagarh segment in Kalahandi district, raised the issue in the zero hour before walking out of the Assembly in protest.

Criticising the State Government for misleading the House by stating that suitable land was not found near railway track in Kalahandi to house the proposed wagon factory, the Congress MLA announced the dharna till the promise was fulfilled.

Dash told reporters at the dharna site that it was unfortunate that while the State Government could arrange land for Vedanta and other industries in Kalahandi, it could not find suitable land for a rail wagon factory.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2010-11 budget had announced a rail wagon factory for KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) region.

However, the project is yet to come up because the State Government failed to arrange a land for the purpose, he alleged.

Alleging that the State Government deprived Kalahandi of a rail wagon factory on political considerations as the ruling BJD was rejected by the people in the last elections, Dash said vast vacant fields were available for the purpose.

Opposition leader Bhupinder Singh also raised the issue and requested Deputy Speaker Lal Bihari Himirika to convince Dash to call off the agitation. Government chief whip Rabi Narayan Pani persuaded Dash to end his dharna.

The Railway Minister had also assured Orissa MP Bhakta Charan Das that the Railway Ministry had no hesitation to sanction another rail wagon factory for Kalahandi if land was provided by the State Government.