Locals Demand Balangir-Nuapada Railway Connectivity, Stage Rail Roko

Balangir: Accompanied by various civil society organisations, hundreds of locals of Lakhanpur in Odisha’s Balangir district under the banner of Patnagarh Citizens’ Forum staged a rail roko at Balangir railway station on Saturday morning demanding railway connectivity between Balangir and Nuapada via Patnagarh.

Titilagarh-Raipur passenger train was stranded for nearly an hour.

“We have requested the authorities concerned time and again for railway connectivity between Balangir and Nuapada via Patnagarh which would boost economic development in these tribal-dominated areas. But they are yet to fulfil our longstanding demand,” an agitator said.

Earlier, the members of the forum had staged rail roko at Balangir railway station on October 14 last year over the same issue.