Odisha seeks sizable amount in railway sector for 2016-17

Bhubaneswar, Dec 3: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate a sizable amount in railway sector for 2016-17 for strengthening and expanding rail infrastructure.

“I would request you to kindly ensure allocation of a sizeable part of the revenues generated from Odisha within the state itself for strengthening and expanding rail infrastructure,” the chief minister wrote to Modi.

He said the railway route length and rail density in Odisha was very much below national average as also substantially lower than that in neighbouring states while gross earnings from various stations in the state was estimated to be in excess of Rs.14,000 crore during 2014-2015.

Maintaining that a large part of Odisha has remained untouched by rail, Patnaik said lack of infrastructure has been one of the major reasons which have impeded the socio-economic growth of this region.

“As you must be aware, these areas are also seriously affected by left wing extremism. I believe that delivering rail services in the Maoist-hit regions is one of the best means to catalyze development and provide counter active force,” he added.  (IANS)