Orissa neglected in Railway Budget:Protests Everywhere

Oriya MPs staged Dharna in Parliament:
While the BJP Yuva Morcha vehemently opposed the Railway Budget by organising rail-roko throughout the State for more than eight hours on Wednesday, BJD-BJP MPs staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the premises of Parliament. The MPs alleged that while the Railways earned huge revenue from the State, it could not even spend one fourth of it for the growth of Railways in the State. The State contributes nearly Rs 6,000 crore to the Railways as revenue per annum. The Railway Authority earned the revenue mostly from transportation of coals and minerals.In the Budget, the Railways even neglected the cause of the industrialisation process of Orissa. Most of the industrialised places have not come under the network. The most important rail connectivity from Kirtania to Dhamra has not been taken up. All the ongoing projects have only received a meagre amount for their completion. During the agitation, the MPs raised slogans against the UPA Government and Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in particular, for their stepmotherly attitude towards the cause of Orissa.
"We will continue to oppose the Railway Budget," said BJD MP Braja Kishore Tripathy, adding that the agitation against the UPA Government would be further intensified. While the State Government had demanded Rs 1,330 crore, only Rs 972 crore was earmarked for the development of rail network in the State. BJD MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra said Orissa had been neglected by the UPA Government. "While the State requires fund for the growth of rail network in the State, it has only received half of it," Mohapatra said. BJP MP Rudra Naryan Pani said while other States receive nearly Rs 1,900 crore, Orissa has not even got half of it. Among others who were present during the agitation included Arjun Sethi, Brahmananda Panda, Prasanna Acharya, Kharabela Swain, Sangita Singh Deo, Dharmendra Pradhan, Pramila Bohidar, Bhartuhari Mahatab and Prasanna Patsani.

Train Services Disrupted across Orissa:

In protest against the Railway Budget of 2008-09, hundreds of workers of the ruling Biju Janata Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party and Kalinga Sena on Wednesday disrupted train services at several major locations of the State while blocking the railway tracks.The protesters, carrying placards bearing Lalu Prasad Hai Hai, early in the morning stopped several Orissa-bound trains at city railway station here and threatened for a massive agitation against the Railway Ministry for its injustice towards the State.
The activists rushed to railway stations in Bhubaneswar, Jatni, Balasore, Ganjam, Khurda, Kalahandi and Berhampur and stopped all trains. Several trains were delayed due to the strike."Last year, the Railway Minister had promised to introduce a Garib Rath in Orissa, but it never materialised," BJYM State president Bibhudutta Jena said. The State has been allocated an inadequate Rs 9.72 billion against its demand of Rs 13 billion, he pointed out, adding, "The Railway Minister has not given attention to the genuine demands of backward southern and western parts of the State." BJD and Kalinga Sena activists also staged demonstrations at other railway stations across the State. Meanwhile, official sources in East Coast Railway informed that 20 trains were running behind the schedule and the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Inter City Express had been cancelled for the day. Trains that were delayed included Palasa-Bhubaneswar passenger, Cuttack-Paradeep passenger, Bhubaneswar-Khallikote and Berhampur-Bhadrak, ECoR sources added.

Western Orissa disappointed :

Although Lalu Prasad's Railway Budget does not envisage any hike in both passenger and freight fares and extends concessions for different categories of people, it is quite a disappointing one for the people of western Orissa, especially for those of Balangir district.
The much-talked-about and long-awaited Khurda-Balangir rail line project, which could ensure economic progress of this region, has been allocated a meagre sum of Rs 33 crore, which is very small amount in comparison to its total cost of more than Rs 900 crore.
"The allocation for the Khurda-Balangir railway line is inadequate and it should have been hiked further, pointed out DCC general secretary Hemant Panda, while welcoming the others features of the Budget.
The Budget is also disappointing as not a single demand, presented to Railway by the Divisional Railway Users' Consultant Committee recently, has been fulfiled.
According to sources, the Consultant Committee, which met on January 30, 2008, had submitted demands keeping in view the requirements of the people. The demands include trains from Puri to Allahabad via Vizianagarm and Titilagarh and Sambalpur to Hyderabad via Titilagarh, attachment of bogie in Sarnarth Express from Sambalpur, halting of all trains for five minutes at Kesinga and new railway line from Bargarh to Nuapada via Padampur."It is unfortunate that not a single demand has been fulfiled although raised much earlier through proper channel, lamented a member of Consultant Committee member.