Bhubaneswar: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for new railway division building in Odisha’s Rayagada, opposition BJD and Congress voiced concern over the future of Waltair division.
Leaders of both BJD and Congress raised concerns over the Centre’s move to delink the Waltair division from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone, claiming it would result in “severe economic repercussions” for Odisha.
Stating that the Prime Minister should have clarified the status of the Waltair division while laying the foundation stone on Monday, they also questioned the alleged silence of Odisha’s BJP government on the issue.
The opposition claimed that major portions of ECoR, previously under the Waltair division, are now set to be merged with the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Division.
Three districts of Odisha — Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi — would remain under the Rayagada division while the rest would be merged with the ScoR, they claimed.
The opposition leaders further accused the Railway Ministry of using the establishment of the new division as a pretext to bifurcate the Waltair division and delink it from the ECoR.
They claimed that this move diverted the revenue surplus of the ECoR to the SCoR, located in Andhra Pradesh, as a political gesture to appease the N Chandrababu Naidu-led government.
While the Centre claimed that the Rayagada division would strengthen the state’s railway infrastructure, promoting tourism, business, and employment in Odisha, the opposition said Odisha would be the ultimate loser.
“We are opposing the splitting of the Waltair division and taking away major parts from the ECoR to merge it with ScoR,” senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena said.
A major portion, now a part of the ECoR, will merge with the SCoR zone and jeopardise the interests of Odisha. The ECoR has been a top revenue generator for Indian Railways since its inception, he said.
Stating that the ECoR has so far contributed above Rs 3 lakh crore in revenue, Jena said if the Waltair division is split and a major portion is merged with the ScoR, the ECoR will lose sunstantially.
In a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Jena said the state government should bring to the Prime Minister’s notice how the move to divide the Waltair division jeopardise the interest of the state.
The Congress leader said that the Odisha government should pass a resolution for creation of another division in the state by integrating Balasore, Mayurbhanj, and Sundargarh districts from the South Eastern Railway (SER) to ECoR.
Expressing similar views, BJD leader and former MP Pradeep Majhi said the ECoR will no longer be a profit-making entity. The Centre’s move to divide the Waltair zone is aimed at pleasing the Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh, he said.
Delinking the Waltair division, a revenue-generating part, from ECoR, is a move aimed solely at appeasing Andhra Pradesh, said another BJD leader Brugu Baxipatra.
