They are:

• Approval of Chakulia-Buramarra line with an estimate of 468 crores.
• Proposal of a line via Banki for goods trains. (A line from Naraj to Banki to Khurda will form a circular Railway around greater Bhubaneswar.)

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Indian Railways has planned major infrastructure facilities like freight nodal points, container park and a coaching complex to cater to the proposed Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region in Paradeep.

… Mr KC Jena chairman of Railway Board said that “Paradeep is poised to emerge as one of the major industrial hubs in Orissa and it is also the site for the proposed PCPIR in the state. A master plan is being prepared for the Paradeep region and according to this plan, the Railways will set up infrastructure facilities like freight nodal points, container park and a coaching complex.”

Mr Jena said that the Railways is also committed to boost connectivity in the Paradeep region which includes the 82 kilometer Paradeep to Haridaspur broad gauge line, being taken up at an investment of INR 577.78 crore. East Coast Railway has acquired 1,146 acres of private land out of the total of 1,653 acres of land required for the project. This project being implemented by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited is scheduled for completion by March 2011.

… On the 290 kilometer Khurda Road to Bolangir project, Mr Jena said that “Work is already in progress for the first 36 kilometer stretch of the project and the fund for the second phase of the project is likely to be sanctioned in this year’s railway budget.” He added that the project had suffered delay due to land acquisition problems and a fast track committee for railway projects formed under the chairmanship of the Orissa Chief Secretary was making efforts to expedite the process of land acquisition.

Mr Jena added that the overall outlay for the various railway projects in Orissa stood at INR 1,049 crore in 2008-09, compared to INR 764 crore in the previous fiscal and the sanctioned figure excludes the projects being implemented by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.

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 FAX: PMO at 23016857 , 23015603 (Delhi STD code is 11), CMO at 674 2590 833 (home) 674 2535 100 (office) and Planning Commission at 23096699

To:

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister of India

Cc: Mr. Naveen Patniak, Chief Minister of Orissa

Cc: Shri Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Governor of Orissa

 
Subject: Solving the greater Kandhamala problem – going after the root cause in a war footing

Dear Dr. Singh: 

While the civil society in Orissa, the nation and the world is disturbed by the  communal violence in Kandhamala, I would urge you to take steps to eradicate the root cause of the violence in Kandhamala and the nearby tribal, hilly, forested, awfully connected, poor and backward districts of Orissa (and its neighboring states). In this regard, please note that the violence did not spread to the major towns and cities of Orissa (such as Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Balasore etc.)  that are well connected (by Rail and roads), decently developed and have a civil society. 

While the violence involving the murder of Swami Laxmanananda on August 23^rd 2008 and the subsequent communal violence that has taken about 40 lives is most deplorable and is in the forefront of the media, please also recall the following events that also took place within the last year in these areas:

1. February 15 2008:  400 to 500 armed Naxals raided the Nayagarh armory and killed 15 people including 13 policemen.
2. June 29 2008: 30 elite anti-insurgency policemen were killed by Maoists near Malkangiri.
3. July 16 2008:  21 Orissa policemen were killed in a land mine explosion and firing by the ultras in Malkangiri.
4. Dec 27 2007: Eleven churches were ransacked and torched in several areas of Kandhamal district.

Please note that these events happened in places in Orissa (Nayagarh, Malkangiri and Kandhamal) that are badly connected, near or within forests, have a large tribal population, and are among the most backward districts of India. The following map shows these districts are surrounded by large tracts of dense and open forested areas, and partly explains why the naxalites and Maoists are able to make them their base and why it has been difficult to deploy adequate police there in a timely manner.

Sir: As an economist and a world leader you must know that lack of connectivity, lack of development, lack of a civil society, entrenched forest and mountainous areas together with a different population base is a recipe for the sprouting of troubled areas. This is true all across the world; from J& K and North eastern areas of India to caucuses in Asia. While one cannot and should not get rid of the mountains or the people, the problem can be solved by making the areas well connected and bringing development. The Indian government is doing that in J & K and in the northeast; but has mostly forgotten about the similar areas in Orissa, Chhatisgrah, and Andhra Pradesh, which are the favorite bases of the Naxals and Maoists.

Sir: We would like you to pay the same attention to these areas in terms of connectivity, development, and creation of civil societies, as you do to the North east and J & K. In particular we would request that following be done in a war footing during the 11^th plan.

(i)                  The Vijaywada-Ranchi highway that passes through many of these areas be completed.

(ii)                Broadband connectivity be brought to these districts with adequate access locations.

(iii)                Two Railway lines, parts of which have already been sanctioned by the Railways but are progressing slowly, are completed and made operational. Those lines are:

a.       Khurda Rd – Balangir (passes through Nayagarh and Boudh) – This line was sanctioned in 1994-95 is progressing very slowly.

b.      Bhadrachalam Rd (Andhra Pradesh) – Malkangiri – Jeypore – Nabarangpur – Junagarh – Lanjigarh Rd – passing through Kandhamala – Boudh – Angul – Talcher – Bimlagarh: Several segments of these lines are approved but progressing slowly. Those segments are Junagarh – Lanjigarh Rd and Talcher – Bimlagarh. Angul – Talcher is operational.

(iv)              With the above lines operational, development should be brought into Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati, and KBK districts (including Kalahandi and Malkangiri) through 1-2 Rail factories and public sector units that can use the steel and aluminum and power produced in abundance in Orissa.

(v)                Orissa govt. should be encouraged and aided to establish a university in Kandhamala and another in Kalahandi.

(vi)              A branch of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University be established in one of these districts.

(vii)             Orissa govt. should be encouraged and aided to establish a government medical college and nursing college in Kandhamala or Boudha district.

Sir:  In regards to the cost of establishing the Railway lines, please note that as per the calculation in  http://kbkrail.orissalinks.com/ Indian Railways is scheduled to make a profit of 2679.72 crores/year from its operations in Orissa. If 1500 crores of this money (the rest may go to Indian Railway’s current plans for Orissa) is put into Orissa, in just 2-3 years the above mentioned lines could be completed.

Sir: We sincerely hope that you will translate the great concern you have shown towards the recent violent events to the above mentioned action items that address the key issues of lack of connectivity and development in these areas and thus provide a long term and real solution.

Sincerely

Appendix:

1. Estimated profit Indian Railways will make from Orissa in 2008-09:

2.  One of the earlier planning commissions has noted in http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/stateplan/sdr_orissa/sdr_orich2.doc

“Railways have always played an important role in economic development and rapid social transformation in all parts of the globe. It is one of the key economic infrastructures. However, it is most unfortunate that in a poor and backward state like Orissa, development of rail networks has received much less attention of the Central Government in the post-independence period. There are as many as seven districts like Boudh, Kandhamal, Deogarh, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur out of the 30 districts of the state, which do not have any railway line passing through them. In the year 1998-99, the density of railway route length per 1000 sq. km of area in Orissa was only 15.03 km as against 42.66 km in West Bengal and 19.11 km. at all-India level”.

3. The tribal population percentage of the KBK districts are as follows:  Malkangiri  58.36% ST  (+19.96% SC),  Rayagada 56.04% ST  (+14.28% SC),  Nabarangpur 55.27% ST (+15.09% SC), Koraput 50.67% ST (+13.41% SC), Nuapada 35.95%  ST(+13.09% SC), Kalahandi 28.88% ST (+17.01% SC), Sonepur 22.11% ST (+9.5% SC), Balangir 22.06% ST (+15.39% SC). Two adjacent districts also have high tribal population. They are Kandhamala 51.51% ST (+18.21% SC) and Gajapati 47.88%  ST(+8.77% SC). 

4. The literacy rates in the KBK districts are abysmally low. Malkangiri 31.26%, Nabarangpur 34.26%, Rayagada 35.61%, Koraput 36.2%, Nuapada 42.29%, Kalahandi 46.2%, Balangir 54.93%, Sonepur 64.07%. Two adjacent districts also have low literacy: Gajapati 41.73% and Kandhamala 52.95%. The state average is 63.1%.

5. Population below the poverty line in southern Orissa (of which KBK is a part) is reported to be 89.17% of the people according to the 1999-2000 NSS data and 72% of the families according to the 1997 census.

New lines: http://eastcoastrailway.gov.in/common/department-division-info/construction/new-lines.htm

	Daitari - Banspani (155 Km.)
	Koraput - Rayagada (164 Km.)
	Khurda - Bolangir (289 Km.)
	Talcher - Sambalpur (174.112 Km.)
	Langigarh Rd. - Junagarh (56 Km.)
	Haridaspur - Paradeep (82 Km.)
	Sukinda Road - Angul (98 Km.)
	Talcher - Bimalgarh (154 Km.)

New lines under survey: http://eastcoastrailway.gov.in/common/department-division-info/construction/new-lines-under-survey.htm

Following is the news report on the discussion (almost a confrontation) with the Railway Board Chair, as reported in India Abroad. The basic premise behind our grievances against Indian Railways and our demands is simple.

• Indian railways is scheduled to make 2500-3000 crores/year from Orissa, but spends only 1000 crores/year on Orissa in terms of new lines, doubling and gauge conversion.
• Its current plan for major spending includes freight corridors, metro rails, and high speed rails, none of which touch Orissa. It plans to do gauge conversion of 12000 kms, most of which is unprofitable (this proves that Indian Railway lies when it says it only does profitable lines), very little (less than 100 km) of which is in Orissa.
• Orissa is already behind the national average in terms of rail density and way behind its neighbors such as West Bengal and Bihar. If no changes are made to the 11th plan IR allocations Orissa will further fall behind.
• Indian Railways must not take money from its profit in Orissa, and spend it else where, until it takes care of proper connectivity to Orissa’s tribal, backward and maoist infested areas. The 2500-3000 times 5 = 12,500 -15,000 crore that Indian Railways will profit from Orissa during the 11th plan must be spend in new lines in Orissa until the (i)-(v) lines below and other port and mine connectivity lines are completed during the 11th plan.
• To Mr. Jena’s retort that Mumbai earns so much in taxes and not all of it is spent in Mumbai; we reply that it is often acceptable to take from rich and give to poor; But when did it become acceptable to take from poor (Orissa) and give to rich (freight corridors etc. in other states)?

The lines in Orissa connecting to the tribal and backward areas that we demand to be finished during the 11th plan are:

• (i) Khurda Rd - Nayagarh - Balangir: Lack of connectivity was one of the reasons a recent Maoist mayhem happened in Nayagarh. It seems after recent events, including the confrontation with the Railway Board Chair and various dharanas in Bhubaneswar, IR has started responding to this demand, but not to the extent to promise its completion during the 11th plan. Note that Balangir is the B in the KBK districts that are the most backward in India.
• (ii) Lanjigarh Rd - Junagarh - Nabarangpur - Jeypore - Malkangiri - Bhadrachalam Rd in Andhra Pradesh: Only small part of this is approved. Most of it is not even surveyed. In the long run this will really bring those parts of Orissa closer to the rest of Orissa. This is the most important connection and has to be take care of at the earliest. Like the approved Vijaywada-Ranchi highway, this line will create an alternative Hyderabad - Ranchi path passing through backward and tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand. This line will connect the Kalahandi and Koraput districts, the two K’s in KBK. The recent Maoist attack and killing of the Greyhound forces in Malkangiri might have been prevented if this line existed as then the forces would have used the train rather than being seating ducks taking a boat across a lake in Malkangiri.
• (iii a) Rayagada - Gopalpur: This has been surveyed and but work on it has not started. Note that Rayagada is part of the undivided Koraput district, one of the K’s of KBK. This line could come under port connectivity and will be a viable line connecting the industries near Rayagada with the upcoming port in Gopalpur.
• (iii b) Gunupur - Theruvali: This will add to the Naupada-Gunupur line and make it an economically viable line. (IR and Mr. Jena agree about its importance.) This line will be completely inside the Raygada district, part of the undivided Koraput district, one of the K’s of KBK.
• (iv) Talcher - Bimlagarh (connectivity to the tribal district of Sundergarh): This line has been approved but is only being given a few crores each year, which is less than the inflation. This line will reduce the distance between Sundergarh district and teh coastal areas significantly. For example, it will make Rourkela only 4-5 hrs from Bhubaneswar.
• (v) Baripada/Buramara - Chakulia: This line will connect the tribal district of Mayurbhanj to tribal areas of Jharkhand. It will add to the Rupsa-Baripada-Bangiriposi line and make it an economically viable line. (IR and Mr. Jena agree about its importance.)

All these lines can be completed if Indian railways just suspends its practice of taking from poor (Orissa) and giving to the rich for only a few years (may be just 3-4 years). The following maps show the above mentioned lines.

Several new trains, extensions, and frequency increases relevant to Orissa were announced in the 2008-09 Railway budget and the subsequent debate in the parliament. Details about their timings and the route they will take will appear in the Time Table that is usually published on July 1st. Few days prior to that the major changes are released. Following are three such releases.

From http://eastcoastrailway.gov.in/custom/press_release/index.php.

Ministry of Railways has decided to introduce eight new trains, extension of two trains, increase in frequency of two trains, speed up of seven trains and timings change for seven trains in ECoR jurisdiction in the New Time Table being implemented from 1st July’08:

NEW TRAINS

Two daily new trains, three weekly new trains, two bi-weekly new trains and one tri-weekly trains will be introduced in ECoR jurisdiction in the new Time Table. Introduction of these trains will be notified later.

One new bi-weekly Garib Rath Super Fast Express train will be introduced between Puri and Howrah. 2882 Puri-Howrah Garib Rath Super Fast Express train will leave Puri at 10.00p.m on every Monday and Wednesday and will arrive Howrah at 07.05a.m on the next days. Similarly, in the return direction, 2881 Howrah-Puri Garib Rath Super Fast Express will leave Howrah at 08.55p.m on every Tuesday and Thursday and will arrive Puri at 05.50a.m on the following days.

One new bi-weekly Super Fast Express train will be introduced between Bhubaneswar and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). 2880 Bhubaneswar - LTT Super Fast Express train will leave Bhubaneswar at 07.20a.m on every Monday and Thursday and will arrive LTT at 01.35p.m on the next days. Similarly, in the return direction, 2879 LTT-Bhubaneswar Super Fast Express will leave LTT at 00.15a.m on every Wednesday & Saturday (Midnight of Tuesday & Friday) and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 07.10a.m on the next days.

…

One new weekly Express train will be introduced between Puri and Darbhanga. 8419 Puri-Darbhanga Express train will leave Puri at 02.10p.m on every Thursday and will arrive Darbhanga at 11.05a.m on the next days. Similarly, in the return direction, 8420 Darbhanga-Puri Express will leave Darbhanga at 07.15a.m on every Saturday and will arrive Puri at 03.30a.m on the following days.

One new weekly Express train will be introduced between Bhagalpur and Yeshvantpur via Bhubaneswar. 2254 Bhagalpur-Yeshvantpur Super Fast Express train will leave Bhagalpur at 01.30p.m on every Wednesday and will arrive Yeshvantpur at 09.15a.m on the next 2nd days. Similarly, in the return direction, 2253 Yeshvantpur-Bhagalpur Super Fast Express will leave Yeshvantpur at 12.45p.m on every Saturday and will arrive Bhagalpur at 08.30p.m on the 2nd next day.

Another new weekly Express train will be introduced between New Dibrugarh Town and Yeshvantpur via Bhubaneswar. 5902 New Dibrugarh-Yeshvantpur Express train will leave New Dibrugarh at 06.45p.m on every Friday and will arrive Yeshvantpur at 12.10p.m on the next 2nd days. Similarly, in the return direction, 5901 Yeshvantpur-New Dibrugarh Express will leave Yeshvantpur at 11.55p.m on every Monday and will arrive New Dibrugarh at 08.00p.m on the 2nd next day.

One new daily Express train will be introduced between Puri and Keonjhargarh. 8416 Puri-Keonjhargarh Express train will leave Puri at 05.25a.m regularly and will arrive Keonjhargarh at 12.00 noon on the same day. Similarly, in the return direction, 8415 Keonjhargarh-Puri Express will leave Keonjhargarh at 01.00p.m and will arrive Puri at 08.30p.m.

Another new daily Express train will be introduced between Bhubaneswar and Paradeep. 8414 Bhubaneswar-Paradeep Express train will leave Bhubaneswar at 07.05a.m regularly and will arrive Paradeep at 09.45a.m. Similarly, in the return direction, 8413 Paradeep-Puri Express will leave Paradeep at 06.00p.m and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 09.10p.m.

EXTENSION:

Two bi-weekly express trains i.e. Nizamabad-Secunderabad bi-weekly and Varanasi-Ranchi bi-weekly will be extended to Sambalpur in the New Railway Time Table which will be notified later.

INCREASE IN FREQUENCY

The frequency of Bhubaneswar-Baripada-Bhubaneswar tri-weekly superfast express has been decided to increase the frequency to six days in a week from 30th June 2008. 2892 Bhubaneswar-Baripada Superfast Express will run daily w.e.f. 30th June 2008 except Saturdays from Bhubaneswar. Similarly, in the return direction, 2891 Baripada-Bhubaneswar Superfast Express will run daily w.e.f 1st July 2008 except Sundays from Baripada.

The frequency of Bhubaneswar-New Delhi-Bhubaneswar bi-weekly Rajdhani express has been decided to run as tri-weekly in the new Time Table which will notify later. 2421 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will run on every Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday. Similarly, in the return direction, 2422New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express will run on every Sunday, Monday and Friday in the new time table.

SPEED UP AND CHANGE IN TIMINGS

Seven trains have been speeded up in the new time-table including the timings of 14 trains at different stations have been changed. Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity Express, Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express, Okha-Puri Express, Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express , Raipur-Bhubaneswar Express, New Delhi-Puri Neelachal Express and Pondicherry-Bhubaneswar Express have been speeded up from 5 minutes to one hour 50 minutes from 1st July.

8411 Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 6.45a.m instead of 5.25a.m and will arrive Visakhapatnam at 02.35p.m instead of 02.10p.m. The timings for this train at other stations have also been changed.

8412 Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express will leave Visakhapatnam at 02.55 p.m. instead of 02.35 p.m. and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 11.20 p.m. instead of 10.55 p.m.

2801 Puri-New Delhi Purusottam Express will leave Puri at 09.45p.m instead of 10.00p.m and will arrive New Delhi at 05.05a.m instead of 04.55 a.m.

2896/2888 Puri-Howrah Weekly Express trains will leave Puri at 10.00p.m instead of earlier 09.45 p.m. and will arrive Howrah at 07.05a.m instead of 06.45 a.m.

2892 Bhubaneswar-Baripada Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 05.10p.m instead of 05.30p.m and will arrive Baripada at 10.10p.m instead of 10.30 p.m.

8304 Puri-Sambalpur Intercity Express will leave Puri at 03.45p.m instead of 04.30 p.m. and will arrive Sambalpur at 10.10 p.m. instead of 10.45 p.m.

8463 Bhubaneswar-Bangalore Prashanti Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 05.45 a.m. instead of 04.15 a.m. and will arrive Bangalore at 11.30a.m instead of 10.00 a.m.

222 Puri-Angul Passenger will leave Puri at 04.00 p.m. instead of 03.30 p.m. and will arrive Angul at 09.15 p.m. instead of 08.30 p.m.

2074 Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jana Shatabdi Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 06.20 a.m. instead of 06.00 a.m. and will arrive Howrah at 12.50 p.m.

8402 Okha-Puri Express leaving Okha at 07.15 a.m. will arrive Puri at 10.50 a.m. instead of 12.40 p.m.

8303 Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express will leave Sambalpur at 06.10 a.m. instead of 06.15 a.m. and will arrive Puri at 12.45 p.m. instead of 01.30 p.m.

8426 Raipur –Bhubaneswar Express will leave Raipur at 05.15 p.m. instead of 05.00 p.m. and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 07.35 a.m. instead of 07.45 a.m.

2816 New Delhi –Puri Neelachal Express leaving New Delhi at 06.30 a.m. will arrive Puri at 12.10 p.m. instead of 01.15 p.m.

2897 Pondicherry –Bhubaneswar Express leaving Pondicherry at 06.15 p.m. will arrive Bhubaneswar at 06.40 p.m. instead of 07.25 p.m.

The timings for many of these above trains at different stations have also been changed. Passengers are requested to enquire about the change of timings of the trains at different nearest stations to avoid inconvenience. Railway sources have also advised all concerned to dial “139″ to know all details about new train services. This BSNL numbered can be dialed from any land line, GSM or CDMA connections.

From http://www.serailway.gov.in/hq/pro/default.htm.

• One pair of Bi-weekly Super Fast Garib Rath Express [2881/2882] between Howrah-Puri-Howrah
• One pair of Weekly Express [2254/2253] between Bhagalpur-Yesvantpur-Bhagalpur via Howrah and Kharagpur.
• One pair of Weekly Express [5902/5901] between New Dibrugarh Town-Yesvantpur via Howrah and Kharagpur.
• One pair of Bi-weekly Super Fast Express [2880/2879] between Bhubaneswar-LTT via Jharsuguda.
• One pair of Weekly Express [8419/8420] between Puri-Darbhanga via Kharagpur- Asansol.
• 8611/8612 Ranchi-Varanasi Express will be extended to run from Sambalpur twice a week with new number 8311/8312 as Sambalpur-Ranchi- Varanasi Express.
• 2021/2022 Howrah-Barbil Janshatabdi Express from existing six days a week to daily service with effect from 1st. July, 2008.
• 2421/2422 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Kharagpur and Adra from existing bi-weekly to tri-weekly.
• 2891/2892 Baripada-Bhubaneswar Express from existing tri-weekly to six days a week w.e.f. 1st. July, 2008 ex. Baripada.
• 2831/2832 Ranchi-Bhubaneswar Garib Rath Express will originate/terminate from/to Hatia instead of Ranchi with effect from 19th. August, 2008.

From the South Central railway ad:

• The biweekly Nizamabad-Visakhapatnam (8309/8310) express will be extended to Sambalpur. It will leave Sambalpur on Mondays and Fridays at 9:15 AM and reach Secunderabad at 8:20 AM and Nizamabad at 11:50 the next morning. It will leave Nizamabad at 18:35 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, leave Secunderabad at 21:45 and then reach Sambalpur at 21:30 the next day.
• Prashanthi Express timings have been changed effective July 1 to leave Bhubaneswar about 2 hours later than its original time. Earlier it used to leave Duvadda at 11:59. Now it will leave Duvadda at 13:42. It used to leave Bhubaneswar at 4:15 AM; now it will leave at 5:45 AM.

Pragativadi reported that land acquisition for Talcher Bimalagarh railway line is delaying the project.

Following is from Sambada:

Following is from Samaja:

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.

The Indian Railways on Monday finally spelt out its plan of action to bring the Khurda-Bolangir new broad gauge line, which was sanctioned 13 years ago, back on track here.

Addressing a press conference, Chairman of Railway Board Kalyan Coomar Jena said the Orissa government had been approached to provide land required for the 290-kilometre-long stretch Khurda-Bolangir line free of cost.

Moreover, funds available in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) with the State should be diverted to take up earthwork needed for laying the new line, Mr. Jena said.

“If the state government responds positively to our idea, the Khurda-Bolangir project would move much faster,” Mr. Jena said.

… The proposed Khurda-Bolangir line is a vital railway link, which would connect coastal Orissa with the western part. Though people had started demanding the railway link more than two decades ago, it was sanctioned in the year 1994-1995.

The projected cost of the project has now reached Rs. 1,000 crore.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) said 52 per cent of cumulative physical progress had been achieved while work was in progress up to 36 km distance. Till March 2007, only Rs. 67.83 crore had been spent on the project.

The Indian Railways also sought the State government’s cooperation on land acquisition for the Puri-Konark railway link. 

Sharing the progress on the proposed world-class railway station at Bhubaneswar, Mr. Jena said the railway was scouting for suitable land for the project.

He said Chinese expertise had been sought to prepare concept of the station, which would require at least 200 acres of land.

Subsequently, an expression of interest would be floated inviting interested firms to execute the project.

A high-level Chinese railway delegation headed by W.U. Wei, Director of Sino-India Railway Co-operation Working Group along with 12 members had visited the city for conducting a survey for developing a world class station here.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Kalinga Times.

… Jena said the gauge conversion of 90 km Naupada-Gunupur would be completed during the current fiscal.

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Economic Times.

CUTTACK: Chairman of Railway Board K C Jena on Sunday inaugurated the wi-fi facility at the railway station here to enable passengers pursue their professional and personal activities even during travel.

Any passenger could access the internet at the station with the help of a wi-fi enabled laptop and use credit card of any bank for online booking, he said.

Jena said the facility, introduced for the first time in the East-Coast Railway division, would help the bonafide passengers to enjoy wireless broadband access, access to reservation system, check e-mail and surf net at platforms while travelling.

The facility, provided by M/s Railtel, was currently available in 53 stations across the country.

In the near future, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Visakhapatnam stations would get the facility, railway sources said.

Following is an excerpt from a report in New Indian Express.

The ambitious second railway bridge project over river Mahanadi near Cuttack is complete.

About Rs 124 crore was invested in putting up the gigantic structure, the length of which spans over 2.1 km.

… With its completion, the doubling of the Talcher-Cuttack-Paradip railway track has also come to an end.

Sources said, the completion of the project and the doubling of rail tracks will help the railways run more coal-laden wagons from Talcher and Paradip to the thermal power stations in South India. Besides, the new infrastructure will allow smooth movement of passenger trains and reduce delays.

According to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, the project was completed a few months ahead of the scheduled period of three years. In all two firms were involved in putting up the second bridge. While Mumbai-based Gammon India laid the foundation and the sub-structure of the bridge, Kolkata-based Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction gave shape to the super-structure.

The structure consumed 8,200 tonne of structural steel. No date was, however, announced about its commissioning. Laying of the rail tracks to the end point of the bridge from Cuttack station-end and Kendrapara road station-end was yet to be completed.

Statements were made by B. Mahtab, B. Panda, Braja K Tripathy,  Arjun Sethi, Prasanna Patsani, Ananta Nayak and Kharabela Swain.  They asked for all kinds of things. I wish they had prioritized and focused on 2-3 things, namely Khurda-Balangir, Lanjigarh Rd - Junagarh - Jeypore - Malkangiri and Baripada - Bangiriposi - Buramara on the basis of connecting to tribal and naxal infested hinterlands. Following is the transcript from http://164.100.24.209/newls/textofdebatedetail.aspx?sdate=03/10/2008.

*SHRI B. MAHTAB (CUTTACK) : Respected Sir, I stand here today to deliberate on the Railway Budget 2008-09 which has received both laurels and brickbats from the thinking public. At the outset I must mention that the Railway Minister’s opening remarks about a cash surplus of Rs 25,000 crore before dividend is clearly a meaningless figure. The surplus after payment of all dues, including dividend, to the general exchequer is only Rs 13,534 crore. This is what can be invested. This is Mr Lalu Prasadji’s fifth consecutive Rail Budget. This years Railway Budget reads like a wish list for the Indian Railways. Announcements like capacity bulding of high density network, port connectivity, freight corriders, stainless steel wagons, higher axle loads etc. on the freight side are praiseworthy and in the passenger sector, use of stainless coaches, green toilets, improved passenger infromation systems and facilities, reduction of fares etc. will please many no doubt, yet there is cause for concern too. The pronouncements do not match the deeds. The budget is an occasion to review the progress of important projects. Apart from the DFC, mega projects like the wheel factory at Chhapra, Electric Loco Factory at Madhepura, the coach unit at RaeBareilly and the Diesel Loco Factory have yet to take off. A new coach factory in Kerala has been added to this list now. The list of sanctioned railway projects of maybe more than Rs 75,000 crore is now a serious worry since more get added each year with painfully slow completion. The production units of Indian Railway loco works at Chittaranjan, Varanasi, coach units at Chennai and Kapurthala, wheel factory at Bengaluru can be made into international hubs supplying to railway system worldwide with more capital investment and new technology. But very little has been said on this. The minister had announced a possible corporatisation of Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala in the 2006-07 budget. What progress has been done in this direction?

* Laid on the Table.

           Budget 2007-08 had spoken of pre-feasibility studies for high speed train corridors which do not find any mention this year. I hope the idea has not been abandoned as such links will bring economic development around important cities as it has taken place in other countries. But the Railway Minister has demonstrated lack of vision. I fail to under the logic of growth rate of 8% by the Railways when the entire economy is growing at a rate of 8.5% to 9%. The cash surplus figures, which I have stated earlier in just bunkum. If the Railways has a cash surplus of Rs 25000 crore then what was the need for seeking budgetary support from the Union Finance Ministry? What one should understand is how much is the quantum of investible surplus.

There are a lot of anomolies when one goes into the details of this years Railway Budget. The freight loading may be taken as an example. The freight loading target of 850 million tonnes is marginally less than the 8 percent growth rate target of 858 million tonnes projected for the Ninth Plan by the Railways. How can one say there is progress?

Similarly an adhoc provision of Rs 5000 crore for expenditure arising from anticipated recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission would appear to be less than the 30 percent increase experienced at the time of implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendation. It can only be hoped that this figure will not be wide of the mark. The allotment of only Rs 600 crore for bridges, as compared to Rs 700 crore for Road over Bridge / Road under Bridges seem inadequate when one takes into consideration that a large number of bridges even now require attention, being more than 100 years old and particularly considering the increased axle loads being permitted or proposed to be introduced. Higher levels of Overloading are taking place now. I am sure the Government is aware about the Railway study made recently on the South Eastern sector which has revealed that the extent of overloading has gone up significantly after the axle load was increased to 22.9 tonnes from 20.32 tonnes. We are all aware that South Eastern Railway deals primarily with iron ore traffic. Earlies, that is, before 2005, wagons were overloaded to the extent of 24-25 tonnes per axle most of the time, However, in 2006 and 2007, when Railways allowed higher levels (22.9 tonnes) of axle load, wagons were over loaded at 28-29 tonnes and even 30 tonnes per axle at times. Excess loads damages the rail tracks and wheels resulting in faster wear and tear. For Railways, which uses the same tracks to such passenger trains this has emerged as a major concern as damaged rails could even result in accidents if not detected on time, apart from higher maintenance costs.

In the past four years, Indian Railways transported an additional 233 million tonnes of originating freight traffic and in the next four years, it proposes to handle an additional 310 mt. How it is going to be achieved? It is not clear from the Budget for 2008-09. What has been presented in the Budget are some sign posts; not a clear road map. The freight traffic growth of the Railways has been steadily dwindling. For the past few years, the Railways has been transporting on an average an additional 60mt every year. The fallout of it is that the Railways continue to lose its market share to other modes of transportation. Nothing substantial has been done to meet this challenge.

I now come to another unpleasant issue. There was no crying demand for bringing the fares down, certainly not from those who travelled AC First, AC Sleeper or AC Chair Car. They would not have minded if the Railway Minister had maintained the status quo for they choose the higher classes of their own volition, only after making sure that they can afford it. The fare reduction of those classes are not also such as to attract significantly more passengers. Similarly, the tinkering with freight reduction too will have only a marginal effect on prices, if at all. There is no specific assurance in the Budget speech that so many new trains will not cause serious traffic congestion and affect the quality and regularity of track maintenance and that they will not compromise safety consideration. New passenger trains also eat into the time and space for movement of goods train which are not only the chief bread winner of the system but also keep the sinew’s of the economy strong. Any operational decision that slows them down will have a cascading effect in the sense of pulling down the volume and velocity of transactions in all resorts. For these reasons, the Traffic wing of the Railway Board had always been opposed to excessive number of new passenger trains.

This year Fifty-three new trains have been announced on a saturated system, without making provision to improve the infrastructure. Speed of trains is the other aspect which needs deliberation. On a high-density network, accounting for nearly one-third of the coun­try’s total rail network of 66,000 km, the coverage speed of passenger train is 55 km and goods train 20 km. Even Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express run at an average speed of 75 km. The Fastest passenger train is Shatabdi Express between Bhopal and Kanpur with an average speed of 140 km. Isn’t this well below the speed of fast trains the Railway Minister vowed to introduce after visiting countries where such trains operate? There are some unanswered questions even today. Why is the average turnaround time of wagons are still so high despite slashing of the free time and like in demurrage? Why are more diesel locomotives proposed to be acquired despite the announcement to go for electrification of more routes?

It is good to know that issues such as port connectivity and elbowing of lines will receive a good deal of attention. But then one couldn’t be sure of the outcome of such an initiative if the issue is left of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd to handle. There are instances where the port connectivity and doubling projects have made little progress because RVNL is not convinced of their viability. The real problems facing the Railways are an acute con­gestion on certain busy freight routes and chronic shortage of locomotives. These prob­lems have not been addressed in the Budget.

Railways Minister proposes to upgrade infrastructure at an estimated investment of Rs 75,000 crore in the next seven years. Where is the money going to come from ? If the Railways wants bigger private participation, it will perhaps have to take a re-look at its present public- private partnership model. Correct policies to attract private investments are needed. Sadly, the Rail Budget lacks such policy initiatives. What has happened to the dedicated rail freight corridor? We have been hearing about this corroder for the past three years. Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for this project way back in September/ October 2006 in Mumbai and Ludhiana. Has a single brick been laid so far ? We have been hearing about the plans to convert New Delhi Station into a world-class station. But nothing has been done so far to execute this project. If this pace of work continues, can we expect the work to be completed before the Commonwealth Games?

Railways Minister has made a number of announcements relating to new trains, low­ering the train fare etc On a careful study, one finds that a number of New trains can only ply after around 7 to 8 years because tracks are not there and in many places gauge conversion is necessary, which may take years. I wll give one example which is very glaring. It is announcement of running a new passenger train from Hajipur to Phulberia. This Phulberia is a wellknown place because of the Railways Minister. But a passenger train can only ply after new track is laid. Can it be done in the ensuing financial year? Will this passenger train ply in 2008-09? I leave it to your wisdom. Similarly there are a dozen of new trains that are announced by Railway Minister which can ply only after tracks are converted from Narrow gauze to Broad Gauze.

Next is the most interesting part relating to lowering the passenger fare. A general impression amongst the public is that henceforward train fare will become cheaper. But is it so? This fare reduction has come with certain conditions. It is applicable only on Sleeper Class, AC Chair Car and 3 Tier where the reduction will be 2 percent provided the passengers travel in the newly designed high capacity compartments. I tried to find out what are these high capacity compartments. Today, normal Sleeper Class compartments have 72 Berths, the high capacity will have 84. AC 3 Tier has 64 and it will be enhanced to 72. AC chair car has 67 and it will increase to 102. Railways Minister has announced that new compartments are being manufactured. Those which have been sent for repair, will also come, he has said. But from close quarters of Rail Bhawan, it is learnt that, at present only 225 newly designed high capacity compartments are available. It will take not less than 7 to 8 years to convert all compartments to high capacity. Should we believe that the passengers have to wait till then?

The other announcement is relating to reduction of ticket-fare in some "popular" trains during peak hour. There are nearly 1600 Mail and Express trains plying in our country out of which 400 are considered, "Popular", I do not know in what category. It is very cumber­some to implement this, no doubt, but the general impression has been created through the Budget speech that train fare has been slashed though it is seasonal. Very strange are the ways of the Railways Minister. Strange indeed!

At its juncture I must raise certain issues for the considerable of the Railway Minister. It relates to Freedom Fighters. Since 70s, Freedom Fighters are provided with free rail travel pass for which Ministry of Home Affairs had deposited the money. The number of Freedom Fighters are quite less today in comparison to that of 70s or 80s. I have been appealing time and again that the restriction of travel in Super Fast Trains like Shatabdi, Jana Shatabdi and Rajdhani should go. They are old and infirm and very few of them actually travel. Why can’t you provide them a little comfort. They donot seek priority in reservation. Allow them these superfast train travel only when vacancy is available.

I take this opportunity to reiterate again that for the speedy development of infrastruc­ture in Orissa, Indian Railways should provide a package which includes allocation of funds for ongoing projects, sanction of new lines, introduction of new trains, extension and increase in frequency of mail/ express trains, and improve passenger amenities. There is an urgent need to complete Daitary-Banspani BG rail link and introduce coaching services in this sector. Rail link costruction work between Bhawanipatna to Junagarh should start immediately. There is a demand to extend Naupada-Gunupur BG rail link to Thiruvali which would enable increase in cargo generation at Gopalpur port. Two projects, such as Khurda Road-Bolangir and Haridaspur-Paradeep proposed rail link is progress­ing at a very slow pace. In these new rail lines the rate of return is high, yet I fail to under­stand why Railway is not allocating funds for completion of these two proje