Deo has proposed to shift the base of ECoR to Vizag in a submission before Antony Committee, which is looking into the impact of separation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh and the possible mitigation measures to counter any untoward situation.
However, being aware about the repercussion of such a proposal on the psyche of the Oriyas, Deo simultaneously has pleaded for shifting of the headquarters of South Eastern Railway (SER), which is currently located Kolkata, to Bhubaneswar as a compromise.
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But his proposal has drawn severe criticism from both Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and state Congress unit.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said it is a conspiracy of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) against the state.
"ECoR came to Odisha after a long struggle in 2003. This is a conspiracy by the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and an insult to Odia pride," said Prasanna Acharya, senior BJD leader and state finance minister.
Former railway minister and senior Congress leader Kanhu Charan Lenka said, the Union minister must announce the shifting of SER headquarter to Bhubaneswar first and then talk about shifting the ECoR base to Vizag.
Currently, ECoR has three divisions, Khurda, Sambalpur and Vishakhapatnam, under its jurisdiction. Deo said, since Vizag is situated in the middle of Kolkata and Chennai, the headquarters of the railway division must be shifted to the coastal town of Andhra Pradesh. He argued, SER headquarters can be relocated to Bhubaneswar by annexing Khurda division to it.