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Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007
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State to demand Rs. 1,000-crore allocation in railway budget

Bhubaneswar: In the backdrop of rapid industrialisation, particularly in the steel sector, the House Committee of the Legislative Assembly on Monday decided to demand allocation of at least Rs 1,000 crore in the next railway budget.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Speaker Maheswar Mohanty.

“We will submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad demanding more allocation for Orissa,” Mr. Mohanty said.

Dismal growth

Expressing concern over the dismal growth of railways in the State, the committee pointed out that only three broad gauge rail lines namely, Talcher-Sambalpur (174 km), Koraput-Rayagada (164 km), Daitari-Bansapani line had been commissioned since Independence.

Projects like Lanjigarh road-Junagarh sanctioned in the year 1993-94 had not been commissioned due to inadequate allotment of funds, Mr. Mohanty pointed out adding that lack of rail infrastructure had been one of the main reasons for impeded socio-economic growth in Orissa.

Draft memorandum

The committee, in its draft memorandum, mentioned that the next five years were critical for the state as most of the planning for industrial growth would fructify. -PTI

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