Odisha committee requests for Rs 5000 crore for railway development

Bhubaneswar: For the development of the rail network in Odisha, the assembly's house committee on Wednesday requested Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to grant Rs 5000 crore following the rail budget 2016-17.

The house committee headed by assembly Speaker Niranjan Pujari met Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu at New Delhi and urged to allocate adequate fund for better rail connectivity across the state.

"We have submitted a memorandum to the Railway minister requesting him to allocate Rs 5,000 crore in the coming railway budget. The memorandum has covered all aspects of the state in the railway sector," said Pujari.

He said the committee has demanded special trains, the expedition of ongoing projects and development in rail network in the state.

"Special focus has been given to KBK (Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput) as there was no better connectivity in the region," said Pujari.

Sources said while a demand of Rs 1,050 crore was made for ongoing rail projects in the state, Rs 2,270 crore and Rs 335 crore were sought for double line and electrification works respectively.

The committee has also demanded Rs.200 crore for setting up of special purpose vehicle (SPV) for rail projects for coal evacuation and umbrella SPV for general rail projects in the state.

Along with the house committee, several BJD MPs also met the rail minister to press the demand of the state.

Odisha had received an allocation of Rs.2,514.07 crore against its demand for Rs.3,200 crore in the 2015-16 railway budget.(IANS)(image:greatodisha.com)