Early steps sought for wagon unit in K’handi

The Pioneer, March 26, 2012

In view of Railway Minister Mukul Roy’s announcement for establishing a wagon factory in Kalahandi provided land is available, non-resident Odia (NRO) Prof. Digambara Patra has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to immediately send a proposal including land details, for the same to the Railway Ministry.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Professor Patra, who is based in Beirut of Lebanon, lamented that the State Government has been taking step-motherly attitude while it comes to establishing the wagon factory at Kalahandi, considered as one of the most backward districts in Odisha.

“It is unreasonable why the State Government of Odisha is totally silent while sending land details proposal for a wagon factory even as one year has already passed off after a similar announcement by former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in March, 2011,” he said.

He further said in the letter that the Chief Minister on his own had written to then Railway Minister on March 18, 2010 to set up the proposed factory in Ganjam district citing its proximity to an urban area and National Highway-5, instead of establishing it in Kalahandi.

“It would have been impartial if the State Government had sent the proposal of land details for two factories both at Bhubaneswar and Kalahandi and let the Railway Minister take the final decision based on technical feasibility study. The Chief Minister had also written separate letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Jan 17, 2009 urging them to take steps for establishing a rail coach factory in a backward region of the State. However, the same Chief Minister turned a blind eye in 2010 to the possibility of establishing such a factory in backward district of Kalahandi,” he rued.