Title - Bhawanipatna-Bhubaneswar Link Express flagged off

Thousands of people thronged the local railway station as the long-awaited Bhawanipatna-Rayagada-Bhubaneswar Link Express was flagged off by Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das here on Saturday evening.Addressing the gathering, Das said it took 21 years to link the rail line from Lanjigarh road with Bhawanpatna since he made efforts way back in 1989 when he was elected MP for the first time.Commenting on its own party members Bhakta said, “Our own people are becoming hurdles in the way of improving the Kalahandi district. He did not name the leader but hinted at the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly meeting Railway Minister Mukul Roy and telling him that the documents of the rail wagon factory had not yet been ready; so there was no need to attend the flagging off ceremony of the new train line at Bhawanipatna. “With a heavy heart I am bound to say in this platform,” he said Das said, “The Opposition party leaders (BJD and BJP) are commenting on me saying that an MP is going to inaugurate the train line. What wrong did I do today as after a Railway Minister, only a local MP can take up the job.”The other train line will be connected very soon and Kalahandi will get better business opportunities, Das said. At around 7 pm, Das flagged off the train where thousands of people greeted him. The function was attended by Additional District Railway Manager Omkar Singh, Collector Dukhishyam Satpathy, MLA Dushmanta Nayak and DRM Ashok Kumar Gupta who also spoke on the occasion and greeted the public.