RailEnquiry

Slamming the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre for systematically curtailing budget for rail projects in the State by Rs280 crore during 2012-13 fiscal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday asked the Union Railway Minister to take immediate steps for restoration of original budgetary allocation.“I strongly protest against this unilateral reduction in the budget for the Odisha for the third time in a year,” Patanik told Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. Grudging against the fresh reduction in the Railway budgetary allocation of Rs60 crore for the third time, Patnaik in a letter to Bansal lamented, “When Odisha contributes revenue worth over Rs7,500 crore annually to the Indian Railways, it is a matter of regret that Rs280 crore has been reduced out of the paltry budgetary allocation of Rs723 crore.”“Such repeated reductions in budgetary allocation and, that too, thrice in a year will greatly hamper the process of improving the rail connectivity in Odisha and lead to abnormal delay in the completion of railway projects,” the Chief Minister pointed out and urged Bansal to take immediate steps for restoration of the original budgetary allocation made for Odisha for 2012-13.“It is learnt that the Indian Railways have recently reduced an additional amount of Rs 60 crore from the budgetary allocation of the East Coast Railways (ECoR), including Rs15 crore each from the major on-going projects of Khurda Road to Bolangir and Talcher to Bimalagarh lines and Rs 30 crore from the Talcher-Sambalpur doubling line,” Patnaik asserted.

He lamented that while in June, 2012, an amount of Rs 186 crore was reduced from the original budgetary allocation of Rs 723 crore announced on March14 last, this was again reduced by Rs 34 crore in September last. “This is against our projected total demand of Rs 2,345 crore for different projects in Odisha for 2012-13,” he said.

Meanwhile, protesting the budgetary allocation for the ECoR, the ruling BJD on Tuesday organised blockade rally before the ECoR headquarters and before the Rail wagon factory, here. The BJD members in the Assembly created ruckus forcing adjournment for several times and held a protest dharana near the Mahatama Gandhi statue on the premises of the Assembly. They announced that if the Center would not restore the original allocation, BJD would intensify the stir throughout the State.