 "Rail Budget: Naveen opposes new Railway zone for Seemandhra")
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik raised a serious concern about creation of new railway zone for Seemandhra by bifurcating Visakhapatnam.
Reacting to the Railway Budget for 2014-15, Patnaik said, “We have raised serious objection to this (creation of new zone) and I hope the Ministry of Railways will consider our just request to protect the interest of backward regions of Odisha.”
Patnaik also opposed the move to link the railway fare with fuel price, stating that it will affect the common man and expose them to vagaries of fluctuations in fuel price.
“Odisha had requested for projects worth Rs 3,160 crore and I understand that Budget worth Rs 1,420 crore is being sanctioned for Odisha. You all know that the state government has agreed to provide 50 per cent of the cost for Bolangir-Khurda project. An amount of Rs 100 crore has been kept in the Railway Budget for the same,” he said.
In a pre-Rail Budget memorandum, Odisha had demanded Rs 3,160 crore allocation, citing that the revenue earnings of the Railways from the state exceeded Rs 14,000 crore in 2014-15.
Reacting to the Railway Budget for 2014-15, Patnaik said, “We have raised serious objection to this (creation of new zone) and I hope the Ministry of Railways will consider our just request to protect the interest of backward regions of Odisha.”
Patnaik also opposed the move to link the railway fare with fuel price, stating that it will affect the common man and expose them to vagaries of fluctuations in fuel price.
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But unlike previous Rail Budgets, this time Patnaik remained largely muted in his reaction to the inadequate allocation for Odisha.
“Odisha had requested for projects worth Rs 3,160 crore and I understand that Budget worth Rs 1,420 crore is being sanctioned for Odisha. You all know that the state government has agreed to provide 50 per cent of the cost for Bolangir-Khurda project. An amount of Rs 100 crore has been kept in the Railway Budget for the same,” he said.
In a pre-Rail Budget memorandum, Odisha had demanded Rs 3,160 crore allocation, citing that the revenue earnings of the Railways from the state exceeded Rs 14,000 crore in 2014-15.