Sitalapalli Wagon Factory: 2016 News repackaged in 2018!

ONI Bureau: In August 2016, leading TV channels including OTV aired a report based on a RTI query that the proposed rail wagon factory in Ganjam’s Sitalapalli has been scrapped. There was a debate on the issue and even both BJD and Congress slammed the BJP on this issue.

The issue was raised several times in the past one and half years and even MoS Railways Rajen Gohain replied to CM Naveen Patnaik’s letter dated 5th April 2016 on 28th March 2017, saying Railways were unable to commence the Sitalapalli Wagon Factory project because of reduced wagon requirement vis-a-vis available wagon manufacturing capacity.

The letter also clarified that there was no need of constructing any new wagon manufacturing factory in the country in the immediate future as 37,000 wagons (30,000 in private sector and 7,000 in Govt sector) are already installed. The MoS Railways also added that the matter shall be reviewed from time to time based on changing Railway business scenario.

However, it’s unclear why a fresh RTI filed in December on the same issue when things are crystal clear. And, the same media house OTV is airing the news as fresh although it was the first channel to break it in August 2016. It’s like the repackaging of RTI as well as News!

Is there a deliberate move behind this? Of course, this is not a Breaking News as being projected today! It’s a very old news. All clarifications were already given. So, there is no shock, no surprise!