BERHAMPUR: The South Odisha Students’ Association (SOSA), while petitioning Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee, has rued that the southern part of the State has always been a ‘forgotten frontier’ of the Indian railways with a long history of ‘repeated injustice’ in its successive annual budgets. Most of the districts being backward here lack railway lines while districts like Ganjam and Rayagada having railway links lack basic infrastructure and cater more to freight than passengers with inadequate trains. The major railway stations, including Berhampur, are languishing while issues raised in the Parliament go unheeded. The recent spurt in Maoist menace has also taken a toll on the nagging plight. “Central leaders come and pay a lip-service just to forget back in Delhi during the policy interventions,” SOSA rues. The long-standing local demand for a railway coaching terminal at Berhampur is yet to come up that could cater to the needs of three districts here. Multi-functional complexes were announced for 50 railway stations across the country in the previous railway Budget and yet Berhampur was left high and dry despite being classified grade “A” rendering services to over 5 million people. Besides, genuine demands like Gunupur-Therubali railway line, new trains between Berhampur-Rourkela and Berhampur-Koraput and extension of Odisha Sampark Kranti Express train up to Berhampur need to be looked into, appeals SOSA. SOSA has also appealed for a railway manufacturing unit or establishment of railway personnel, staff training, finance, traffic institutes in south Odisha deeming the backwardness of the region and recognising the East Coast Railway(ECoR)’s contributions to the central kitty. “A single go is not enough to address the long pending issues and undo the negligence meted out to Berhampur and south Odisha,” feels SOSA in its petition hoping however that the forthcoming will make a bright beginning in this direction when Mamata rises to present her budget this stint.
Source: The Pioneer
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