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.

Railway budget 2008-09(PDF):

• 75% of Railways goods traffic moves on about 20,000 km of the railways’ high density network, coal and iron ore routes and port connectivity railway lines.
• Coal is the mainstay of Railway’s freight traffic. Loading of coal in 2007-08 is likely to be 336 MT. Most of the new dedicated routes for coal movement will be fit for 25 ton axle load trains.
• The Railways receives 120 MT traffic from the steel industry every year.

Odisha is a major contributor to above two, coal and steel sectors, from which Indian railway makes a large share of profit and East Cost Railway is second most profit making zone of Indian railway.

However, in social responsibiltiy Railway has contributed little towards backward region development programme like for Kalhandi Balangir Koraput Kandhamal region.

• There is no new line proposed for Odisha during this budget.
• Based on demands, the following surveys are proposed to be taken up in Odisha:

Junagarh-Ambaguda
Barbil-Banspani
Kantabanji-Navrangpur-Jeypore
Khurda Road-Rajatgarh

Note:

(1) Survey has no meaning unless it is approved by railway. Junagarh – Nabarangpur was under consideration since years (from early 1990s, but no survey was under taken till now)

(2) Khordha road – Balangir was approved in 1993, but not yet started properly

(3) Lanjigarh road – Junagarh was approved in 1990 with initial estimate cost 250 crores, the project in not yet completetd by near about two decades.

(4) Bimalgarh – Talcher, on the ground no progress has been made since approval.

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 projects in a time bound manner.

The survey report of Talcher-Gopalpur Broad gauze rail-link is before the Ministry which has indicated a favourable rate of return. The recent thrust of industrialisation in Orissa with setting up of Steel, Power and Aluminium Plants would require a dedicated railway link between Talcher to Gopalpur for export and import of raw materials and finished products. However, I must thank Railway Minister for starting 4 new trains and increasing the frequency of Rajdhani Express. The new train connecting Allahabad to Sambalpur was a long pending demand which has been adhered to. I would urge upon the Minister to con­sider starting a new Express train from Paradeep to Mumbai which would connect the east-coast to the western shores of our country. In this Budget, attempt has been made to recognise the problem of unmanned level crossing and congestion at busy level crossing which needs Road over bridge. Two such Road overbridge are essential in and around Cuttack now. One at Gopalpur and another at Kapilash Road-Tangi. Necessary steps may be taken to include these two projects in this years Budget.

As large parts of Orissa are being developed by East Coast Zone, the functioning of this Zone is of great interest to us. It was after long fight that this zone was created. Our impression was that it would be full fledged by now in its 10 years of existence. But that is not so. I will give you instances. In 2007-08, Sambalpur-Titlagarh and Titlagarh-Raipur Doubling project was listed. Asian Development Bank was supposed to finance this Rs.1680 cr project. Last year provision of Rs.10 Crore was made. The technical survey and de­tailed estimate was done by East Coast Railway and after that tender was floated. The area comes under East Coast Railway Zone. But Railway Vikash Nigam didn’t entrust these job to the project implementation unit of East Coast Railways but was given one to Kolkata and another to Bilashpur Project implementation unit. Why this has been done? There has been cost escalation of high order. Almost double the amount of the project cost. Will the Minister look into it? Also appraise us the reason why the jobs were taken away from East Coast Zone.

Before I conclude, I must say that Railway Minister’s performance as the Railway Minister in the past five years has been impressive in the sense that he presented five budgets in a row, all surpluses and has succeeded in projecting Indian Railways as one of the high performers. But would it not also be in order to have a performance assessment of how many of the promises made in the earlier Budgets have actually been delivered upon. What needs to be remembered is that, despite impressive strides in recent years on the financial and safety fronts, when compared to major world railways, the Indian Railways has a very long way to go in terms of quality of service and productivity. There are tremendous challenges to be overcome. Therefore, there is no room for compla­cency or misplaced munificence.

 (ends)

 

1402 hours

*SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR): Hon’ble Speaker Sir, I  thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak on the Railway Budget of 2008-2009.  The Railway Budget is like a milestone in the progress of a nation.  It’s a reflection on the unity, integrity and diversity of our huge country.  Railway is the unifying force in this country.

          This House has witnessed discussions regarding the welfare of our population, especially of the deprived section the labours, the farmers and the working class.  Everybody cutting across party lines expresses sympathy, but sometimes it remains a mere lip service.

          Sir, India is a land of diversity with many languages, religions, castes and creeds.  I come for the holy land of Lord Jagannath who is a symbol of secularism.  He had a devotee named Salabega who was a muslim and a devotee named ‘Dasia’ who was from the Dalit community.  In this context sir, when I rise to speak my heart pines for my people.  Wheneven any national leader visit my state they all highlight the poverty, squalour and the deprivation of my people.  Orissa is famous as a backward, poverty-stricken state.

          In the recent past Orissa has had some distinguished visitors like Mr. Sharad Pawar etc. Now Mr. Rahul Gandhi is on a tour to Orissa. He has expressed his anguish after witnessing the deprived state of Orissa’s poor-the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community.  The sincerity of his sympathies is doubtful.

          Sir, you are a leader of the proletariat class and you stand for the interest of the proletariat class.  Hence I believe you will empathise with me and allow me to point out the flaws in the Railway Budget.  Sir, as far as safety and security of the passengers  are concerned, very  little  has  been  done  in this  regard.  A  Railway

*Original in Oriya.

 

passenger is subjected to loot, dacoity, accident as well as terrorism.  A person traveling by train is unsure of reaching his destination.  Hon’ble Railway Minister is speaking of modernization.  But I must provide a secured environment for railway passengers.  I applaud his steps which are taken to extend facilities to women and senior citizens.  I also hope that he will look at Orissa with a benevolent eye. Orissa is a backward state but not a poor state.  It is a beautiful land filled with natural resources,  minnerals, verdant forests and has a long coast line of 480 Kms. Visitors to Orissa get spellbound with the beauty of this land.  That is why our Chief Minister has written a letter to the Hon’ble Railway Minister to pay attention to the demands of Orissa, so that the Railway map of Orissa will change.  Orissa is now a favourite destination of industrial groups like POSCO, Arcellor Mittal and Vedanta etc.  Orissa needs to make giant strides to catch up with other states. Hence development of Railway infrastructure is very vital to the progress of Orissa.

MR. CHAIRMAN (SHRI VARKALA RADHAKRISHNAN): Hon. Member, please conclude now.

SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR): Sir, you must give me a considerable amount of time… (Interruptions)

MR. CHAIRMAN: That is what I have told you.  Or, somebody else may have to come here; I cannot be here.

SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR): In that case, I am not going to speak anything.

MR. CHAIRMAN:  Please conclude.

SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR): Mr. Chairman, Sir, you must allow me   a considerable amount of time to speak.

MR. CHAIRMAN:  You can give the remaining portion of your speech, in writing.  You may write any number of pages, and place it on the Table; it will be taken as recorded.

SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR): Sir, this is not fair. When I am here to speak   about my State, I should be allowed to speak.

MR. CHAIRMAN:  Whatever idea you have about the Railways, you may write an essay or even a book; you may place it on the Table; and it would be considered as recorded.  Please understand that we have time constraint.

SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR): Then, why these people are allowed to speak in the House. … (Interruptions) That is why Orissa has become a backward State.  I am here to speak about my State of Orissa.… (Interruptions)

MR. CHAIRMAN:  Even in the evening you would not be here, but I will have to be here till midnight.

          You may continue your speech. Try to conclude as early as possible.

*SHRI BRAHMANANDA PANDA (JAGATSINGHPUR) :          Sir, there are many projects which has been sanctioned by the Central Government but work is

yet to start.  There are some projects which remain unfinished  due to dearth of funds. With a  financial allocation the work can be completed.  The Langigarh and Junagarh railway line needs to be completed.  Members of the House Committee of Orissa Legislative Assembly and Chief Minister had met Hon’ble Railway Minister regarding this division.

*Original in Oriya.

here.  Repeatedly we have demanded in this August House that the Khurda-Bolargir Railway Project work should be speeded up but the vain. The Central Government in unnecessarily delaying the release of fund.  Similarly we have many on going projects like the Haridaspur-Paradeep railway line, Angul-Duburi railway line, Sukinda-Tarcher-Bimlagarh line, Rupsa-Bangiriposi and Nuapada-Gunupur  railway  line etc. which  await allocation of funds.  People of these areas are now indulging in Naxalism and Maoism etc.  There are also some railway projects where doubling and electrification of railway line is very essential like Daitari-Banspani railway line, Talcher-Sambalpur, Haridaspur-Paradeep railway line Koraput-Rayagada, Sambalpu-Talcher etc.  There are many projects which awaits survey.  We draw the attention of the Railway Minister to ensure an early survey.

          We demand introduction of new trains from Bhubaneswar to Koraput, from Jeypur to Malkangiri, from Bargarh-Nuapada, Berhampur, Phulbhani to Puri-Konark..

          Sir, the Konark temple is a world famous architectural marvel.  Gurudev Ravidra Nath Tagore had described as poetry on stone.  This beautiful place will attract more tourists if well-connected by Railway.  Sir Phulbani is a district of tribals.  Even after 60 years of independence the people of this area remain untouched by Railway.  They have neither seen a train nor a railway track.  Its is a very sad commentary on the state of affairs today. 

Sir, I would like to draw the attention of the Railway Minister to introduce some new super fast trains which will connect Orissa to New Delhi.  In Orissa there are trains without pantry-car facility for example the Heerakhand Exp, which plys between Bhubaneswar and Koraput.  Tribal districts of Orissa should be well-connected to New Delhi.

          Now I will speak about my own constituency, Jagatsinghpur which houses the famous Paradeep port.  It’s a milestone in our nation’s economic progress. It is the deepest natural port in the east coast.  Paradeep port earns revenue for the country.  However the full potential of this port is not being properly exploited because the doubling of railway bridge over river Mahanadi has not been done yet. Again Sir my constituency houses the shrine of Goddess Maa Sarala who is compared to Mata Vaishno Devi. But the place has no railway connectivity and hence tourists face difficulty.  The trains which ply between Paradeep to Bhubaneswar may be further extended to Puri. Sir we have been demanding for a long time  that Rajdhani Exp. should ply between Bhubaneswar and New Delhi on a daily basis.  That has not happened. Sir, I would like to draw you attention to Junagarh-  Ambaguda railway line and Kantabanjhi-Jeypur railway line which should be laid via Khariar and Nawarangpur.  Sir there areas have predominantly tribal population.  Laying down of railway lines will integrate them to the mainstream.  Our Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik dreams of a economically strong vibrant and progressive Orissa.  His dreams can only be fulfilled if the Central Government and the Ministry of Railway in particular lends a helping hand. Funds should be provided to expedite the on-going projects.  The financial aid should come in a time-bound manner so that the projects can see the light of the day.  Sir I would conclude with a poem which was recited by Gopabandhu Das which describing the beauty of lake Chilka……

          “O’  train do stop here for a moment,

          I want to enjoy the splendour of a,

          Painting called Chilka”.

          Sir, I thank you for allowing me to speak on the Railway Budget.

Jai Jagannatha.

(ends)

*SHRI BRAJA KISHORE TRIPATHY (PURI): I bring to the kind notice of Hon’ble Minister of Railways through you for allotment of additional funds for Orissa in the budget for expediting the ongoing Railway project in the State and inclusion of new projects in the Railway Budget 2008-2009 which have not been covered in the present Budget.

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, as in the past, Orissa which is ranked much below the national average in the Railway Map of India, has been discriminated upon and also neglected in the allotment of funds in the present Railway Budget even though the East Coast Railway and portion of South Eastern Railway which pass through the state of Orissa are measure revenue earners for the Indian Railway. This is an unbalanced Budget which has not catered to the need of regional requirement and prospective Railway expanding Zone. Whereas captive thermal power plant have been proposed in the state off Bihar, new coach factory in Kerala, Wagon reconstruction in 6arkha in Chapra Distt of Bihar, allotment of Rs.200 crore for modernisation of railway workshop in West Bengal and allotment of Rs.80 crore at Jamalpur, no new project worth substance has been introduced in Orissa. No allotment has been made for the introduction of new projects in Orissa.

I thank through you to the Hon’ble Railway Minister for introducing a Garib Rath from Ranchi to Bhubaneswar in the last Railway Budget but Sir, this is not sufficient. I would request through you to the Hon’ble Railway Minister for more Trains from Puri-Bhubaneswar to New Delhi and Mumbai in the greater public interest.

Electrification:

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, in the present Railway Budget no provision has been made for Rail Line Electrification in Orissa whereas during 11^th Five Year Plan proposal for Electrification of 3500 kms of Railway Line has been made. During last Railway Budget 2007-08, I had requested through you to Hon’ble Railway Minister for allotment of Rs. 100/- crore for the Electrification of the feeder links viz*. Daitari-Banspani B.G. Link, Talcher-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda B.G. Link and Haridaspur-Paradeep B.G. Link. However, sufficient funds have

* Laid on the Table.

not been allotted in the present Budget also. I would also request to the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you for allotment of sufficient funds for these projects and alongwith, Koraput-Rayagarh electrification project may be sanctioned in the Railway Budget-2008-09. Against the demand for electrification of Khargpur-Nimapura-Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar-Kottavelasha (RVNL) only Rupess^2 crore and^l crore has been sanctioned respectively in the Budget 2007-08 against the demand for Rupees 50 crore. Hence, the allotment may be increased to 50 crore in the Budget 2008-09.

Gauge Conversion

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, I would request through you to Hon’ble Railway Minister to increase the amount for expediting the gauge conversion from Rupsa to Bangiriposi which is very important as it was envisaged as an alternate to 3^rd line between Kharagpur and Tatanagar and made into 2 phases, the first phase a gauge conversion of Rpusa-Bangiriposi and phase-2 connecting Bangiriposi with either Gorumahisani or Dollbhumgarh, which will subsequently connect to Tatanagar thereby reducing substantial distance. The allotment may be increased as the sanctioned amount of Rs.40/- crore is not sufficient for this project. Nuapara-Gunupur route gauge conversion may be expedited and extension to be made upto Therubali and also sanction is needed to provide connectivity to Gopalpur Port. Allotment of Rs.10.41 crore in the present Budget 2008-09 is not sufficient and I would request Hon’ble Railway Minister through you for increase this amount to Rs.75/- crore. Although broad gauge line of 2300 kms will be completed during 2007-08 and 3500 during 2008-09, no substantial allotment has been made for the state of Orissa.

On Going New Lines

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh B.G. Rail Link:-Sir, this project was sanctioned in the year 1993-94. Rs.100 crores was demanded for commissioning the section between Lanjigarh Road-Bhawanipatana and commencement of land acquisition from Bhawanipatana to Junagarh. The Govt, of Orissa had demanded Rs.120/- crore for the project, however only Rs. 34/- crore has been allotted in the present Budge which may be increased to Rs.75/- crore.

Haridaspur-Paradip B.G. Link‘-Hon’ble Speaker Sir, only Rs.80/- crores has been allotted in the present Budget for Haridaspur-Paradip B.G. Link in the Budget, however the state Govt, had demanded Rs.175/- crore. I would request the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you that the allotment may be increased to Rs.175/- crore.

Khurda Road-Bolongir B.G. Link:-Hon’ble Speaker Sir, only Rs.32.43/- crore has been allotted in the present Budget whereas the state Govt, had demanded

Rs.150/- crore.   I would request the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you that the allotment may be increased to Rs.150/- crore.

Angul-Dubri-Sukinda Road B.G. Link: This Project was sanctioned in the year 1997-98. This rail link is critical for the steel industries since it will be a feeder link for transportation of coal to the industries in the Dubri area and iron ore to the industries in the districts of Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Jharsuguda. The allotment of Rs.60/- crore is meager and may be increased to Rs.150/- crore.

Talcher-BimlaqQrh (154 KmsV- This Project has been sanctioned in the year 2004-05. The state Govt, had demanded Rs.75/- crore whereas Rs.10/- has been allotted. I would request the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you that the allotment may be increased to Rs.75/- crore.

Doubling of Existing Railway Lines: Hon’ble Speaker Sir, I request the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you for provisioning adequate funds for doubling of various Railway links in the state of Orissa. Particularly, I request the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you to increase the allotment for Doubling of Khurda Road-Puri Railway Line from Rs.2/- crore to Rs.50/- crore including the sanction of second phase work for which survey work was sanctioned in the last Budget 2007-08 . This railway line is more then 100 years old and eight years of first phase work for doubling should be expedited in view of the importance of Puri as an international Tourism point.

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, I request through you to Hon’ble Railway Minister to include the following proposals for survey for new lines in the Budge of 2008-09 :-

Conversion & Extension of Nuapada-Gunupur B.G. Rail Link to Theruvali (79 Kms.)

a. Traffic survey was made in March, 1999 for extension of the converted Nuapada-Gunupur B.G. Rail Link to Theruvali with a favourable rate of return. This extension will immensely benefit flow of import and export of cargo via-Gopalpur Port.

 b.         Jeypore-Malkangiri (117 Kms.).

This broad-gauge rail link for which a survey report has been submitted to Ministry of Railways forms a part of the most backward districts of Orissa i.e. KBK area, which has been accorded special status by Government of India for speedy development. This requires immediate implementation.

c.         Talcher-Gopalpur (245 Kms)

The survey report of Talcher-Gopalpur Broad-gauge Rail Link line submitted to Ministry of Railways indicated a favourable rate of return. The recent thrust of industrialization with setting up a of Steel, Power and Aluminum Plants would require a dedicated Railway link between Talcher to Gopalpur (Special Economic Zone) for export and import of raw material and finished products.

d)         Bargarh-Nuapada-Vio-Padmapur (120 Kms):

Survey for this Broad-gauge Rail link was completed with a viable rate of return 18.32% and report submitted to the Ministry of Railways. Rail infrastructure in Western Orissa is not developed adequately despite a large number of industries are existing and heavy production of food grains are achieved. This B.G. Rail link will traverse through acutely backward areas of the State, and will ensure economic development.

e)      Puri-Konark (35 Kms.) : Puri attracts thousands of pilgrims due to temple of
Lord Jagannath. The famous Sun Temple is located at Konark. This monument
is famous throughout the world and thronged by visitors from domestic and
abroad. Considering these a survey was completed for construction of New
B.G. Rail Link between Puri-konark in the year 1997. This link will facilitate
visits by the tourists and pilgrims to the last link of the golden triangle.

For Bargarh-Nuapada-Via-Padmapur (120 Kms) and Puri-Konark (35 Kms.) though for detailed survey has been announced in principle , r\o steps have been taken in this regard so far for sanction and construction and now also no funds have been allocated in the Current Budget for these two projects. Hence necessary sanction may be accorded for these projects in the Budge of 2008-09

 (f)      Gopalpur-Rayaqada (282 Kms) :

all Bauxite deposits are located in Rayagada and Kalahandi area. Recently, Government of Orissa has signed number of Memorandums of understanding (MOU) for setting up of Aluminium industries for production of Alumina and Aluminium. Sanction for a survey is imperative to cater to the traffic that will be generated.

(g)      Jaleswar-Digha (40 Kms):

Digha is a popular beach resort, which will be connected from Tamluk. It is necessary that a survey be sanctioned from Jaleswar to Digha a stretch of 40 Kms. so that the vast areas in Bhogarai and Jaleswar Block can be connected. Although this project has been announced, no funds have been allocated so far.

(h)     Jajpur Keonjhar Road-Jajpur (30 Kms.):

Biraja Khetra at jajpur Town is a famous place of Piligrimage in India at Par with Dwaraka and Kasi. A large number of pilgrims visit this area regularly. The Ministry of Railways is requested to sanction a survey for extension of the East Coast Railway line from Jajpur-Keonjhar Road to Jajpur.

(i)      Sorumahisani To Buramara (35 Kms.)

Work is in progress for gauge conversion of Rupsa-Bangiriposi N.G. Rail Link. A survey may be sanctioned for linking Gorumahisani on Tata-Badamapahar B.6. Rail Link to Buramara on Rupsa-Bangiriposi Rail Link.

(j)      Badampahar To Keonjhar (70 Kms.)

A survey needs to be sanctioned between Badamapahar to keonjhar which shall link the rich iron ore area with Tatanagar.

(k)      Sambalpur-Berhampur via Birmaharajpur (408 Kms.)

Presently a direct rail link from Western to Southern Orissa is not available. Transportation of goods and passengers have to move in a circuitous way via Raipur-Vizainagaram or the East Coast Rail Link.

 (I)      Bolanqir-Nawapara (159 Kms.)

Bolangir and Nawapara are extremely backward district of Orissa, covered under the KBK districts, which has been accorded special status by Government of India. Availability of Railway infrastructure shall lead to economic growth.

(m)     Banspani-Bimlaqarh (80 Kms.)

Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts are iron ore hub of Orissa. With rapid industrialization a network of railway links shall cater to the transportation requirement of that area.

(n)      Berhampur to Phulbani (169.8 Kms.)

A preliminary Engineering-Cum Traffic Survey was conducted in 2003. Phulbani is one of the extremely backward districts of Orissa, though endowed with large deposits of Granite, Graphite, Quartz, Manganese and Bauxite. Sanction of requisite funds may be made for commencement and completion the project.

The following extension and introduction of New Trains may be introduced.

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, I would like to thank the Hon’ble Railway Minister through you for extension and introduction of New Trains, viz, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai vida Sambalpur (bi-weekly), Puri-Darabhangha Express (Weekly), Paradeep-Bhubaneswar Express (Daily in lieu of Parradeep-Cuttack Passenger), Kendujhargarh-Puri Express (Daily). However, the Paradeep -Bhubaneswar Express may be extended upto Puri considering it as a Pilgrimage Centre.

The following introduction and extension of trains requires attention :

Super-fast Express from Sambalpur to Allahabad:

There is no direct train from Sambalpur to Allahabad in order to meet the growing demand of traffic from Western Orissa. To enable the people of Western Orissa to Visit important places of pilgrimage like Allhabad, the extended train No.8611/8612 may be further extended upto Allhabad.

 

Inter City Express between Koraput and Rourkela Via-Rayagada.

The Raipur-Vizianagram-Koraput-Kirandul B.G. rail link passes through the most backward areas of the State like Koraput-Bolangir and Sundargarh. An Inter City Express linking Rourkela with these areas of this State will give the much needed impetus for business and commerce of the area.

Express Train from Titilagarh to Puri, Via-Sambalpur:

Presently there is no direct train from Titilagarh area to cater the needs of Western Orissa. Introduction of Express Train on this route will provide relief to the people and also ensure emotional, social integration with costal Orissa.

Express Train from Visakhapatnam to Howrah-Titilagarh, Raipur & Bilaspur:

The area from Visakhapatnam to Titlagarh is backward and requires additional train services to ensure increase of commerce and trading with neighboring States.

New Puri-Hyderabad Express and and New Puri-Chennai Express

There is no direct Train Link from pilgrim centre of Puri famous for Lord Jagannath to South India. Two direct trains from Puri-Hyaderabad and Puri-Chennai will fabulously benefit pilgrims of South India and people of Puri and Orissa.

Express Train between Baripada and Visakhapatnam Via Balasore,  Bhubaneswar and Berhampur.

Baripada the district Headquarters of Mayurbhanj is now connected on the Board gauge system of Indian Railways. It is necessary to provide a direct link with Southern Orissa as of the Passenger amenities.

Express Train from Gandhidham to Puri.

Orissa continues to provide human resources for industries in Gujurat. A large number of Oriyas are working in various part of Gujrat. An express train may be provided from Puri to Gandhidham via Vizainagram.

Express Train from Keonjhar to Howrah

Keonjhar district has been connected in the Daitari-Banspani BG Rail link. A large number of the tribal population shall use the direct link for trade and commerce.

Super-fast Express from Puri-Jaipur:

There is no direct train service from Puri Orissa) to pink city of Jaipur (Rajasthan). Introduction of a Train Services from Puri-Jaipur, Via-Sambalpur, and Raipur will enable tourists and pilgrims from Central and Western India to come to Orissa and this service will immensely benefit people of western Orissa.

Express Train from Barbil to Vishakapatnam via-Kenojhor & Bhubaneswar

The BG rail link between Banspani-Daitari is expected to be commissioned very soon. Keonjhar and Jajpur districts are undergoing rapid industrialization. Introduction of a train from Barbil to Vishakapatnam will facilitate movement of passengers and shall also be used for trade and commerce.

Express Train from Baripada to Howrah

Narrow gauge section between Rupsa to Baripada has been converted and commissioned. In order to strengthen the traditional link of the people of Mayurbhanj district with West Bengal and meet the aspirations of the people of that district, Ministry of Railways is requested for introduction of an express train from Baripada to Howrah.

Intercity Express Between Jharsuguda and Bhubaneswar

The industrial scenario is fast changing with the large number of steel plants located in Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts. Inadequate train services is a serious impediment for people of that area. Ministry of Railways is requested for introduction of an Inter-city Express between Jharsuguda and Bhubaneswar.

Super fast Express between Rourkela to New Delhi.

The industrial and mining area of Sundargarh and Jharsuguda district are sparsely connected to New Delhi. Introduction of a direct train will be immensely popular facilitating travel of passengers from these districts.