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Dear Friends,                
                 

Today, a Dharana cum meeting was organized under the presidentship of Er. Lalit Mohan Pattnaik, Working President of Agami Odisha in front of East Coast Rail Bhawan, Bhubaneswar in demand of Completion of all ongoing Rail Project in Orissa and sanction of Khandhamal Rail Link. The Dharana was organised on behalf of AGAMI ODISHA, SWABHIMAN ODISHA MUNCH, LOKASAMUKHYA, FOCUS ORISSA AND KHURDHA-BOLANGIR RAIL LINE KRIYANUSTHAN COMMITTEE.
                 

 Sri Sibaji Pattnaik, Ex MP, Sri Dhannda Misra, Sri Babani Satpathy from Bolangir, Gadadhar Rout from Khurdha, Asish Kanungo, Asst Secy. CPI, Biswanath Mohapatra from Khurdha, Salila Mohapatra, Rajkishore, Janabani from Kandhamal, Jogendra Naik from Daspalla, Sidhartha from Puri, Bichitra Badajena from Utkal Sameelani, Prasanta Mohapatra, Manoj Jena from  Binoba Seva Pratisthan & Madhu Bhai from National Youth Project raised their voice against step motherly attitude of Railway Board to wards Orissa Rail Projects.
                 

 A  delegation of 5 member under the Presidentship of Er. Lalit Pattnaik including Sri Sibaji Pattnaik, Sri Bhabani Satpathy, Sri Dhananda Misra & Janabadi Bhoi submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister (below )  through Chief Engineer Rail Project of ECOR in the premises of ECOR Head Office . The Chief Engineer assured to immediately forward the letter to New delhi with their point to point answer on the subject demand.

Please highlight the issue for the interest of Orissa and Chatishgara, that has much less Rail density.

To,                                                                                                                                                         Date- 3^rd February 2009

Honorable

Prime minister of India ,

South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India-110 011.
Fax: 91-11-23019545 / 91-11-23016857.

Respected Sir,

                      We the people of different regions of Orissa have gathered in front of East Cost Railway Office, Bhubaneswar to-day to protest against step-motherly attitude of Railway board towards different projects of Orissa. We request you to kindly study our grievances.

                      Kandhamal & Kalahandi-Balangir- Koraput (KBK) region in Orissa is a multi-facet backward region due to hilly backwardness, tribal populated backwardness and backward due to natural calamities.

                      Similar backward regions in India like North Eastern States have received special treatment by railway board where as KBK region has been neglected since decades. Even hilly region like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand have received special package in railway by Govt. of India. Unfortunately, KBK region where backwardness is multi-facet has not received similar treatment.  

                      The railway infrastructure in Orissa and Chhatisgarh is substantially low compared to national average despite both the states are in the profit making zones, where as railway infrastructure of Bihar , and West Bengal are remarkably high though they are in the loss making zones (North Eastern, and Easter zones).

                      East Coast zone and South Eastern zone (under which Orisss state comes) and South East Central zone (under which Chhatisgarh state comes) of Indian railways are top most profit making zones and large amount profit made by Indian railway comes from the royalty of transporting coal, metals, ores, and minerals which Orissa and Chhatisgarh substantially contribute, however, Indian railway has ignored Orissa, specially KBK region, since decades.

                      Politically, Indian railway was being always misused by railway ministry and development in the important backward but profit making states like Orissa and Chhatisgarh was being marginalized.

                      For example, Khurdha road ����alangir and Lanjigarh road ����unagarh railway lines in Orissa which were approved much earlier than Muzaffarpur ����itamari and Sultangang-Deogarh railway lines in Bihar, are only 10% completed where as both above projects in Bihar are completed by now.

                      During last 15 years, more lines were approved in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal (all of them comes under loss making zones) than Orissa and Chhatisgarh (both are in profit making zones). Even 3 railway plants in Bihar (loss making zone) and one in Kerala (another loss making zone) were established by Indian railway, but none of the plant, even the power plant by Indian railway, was established in Orissa or Chhatisgarh despite profit making zones and rich in coal.

                      Since decades, the funds allotted in the railway budgets to profit making zones like East Coast railway and South East Central zone is lower or same as that of loss making zones like Eastern railway, North Eastern railway and Southern railway zones.

                      We do not have any objection to the development of railway infrastructure in Bihar , West Bengal and other states in India rather would like to see their well being, but we are totally against the marginalization of Indian railway towards backward region like KBK and Chhatisgarh.

Some Facts

  Average rail density for India is 19.13.

  The rail density is highest in Delhi (138.2) followed by West Bengal (43.4), Punjab (41.6), Haryana (36.1), Bihar (35.9), Uttar Pradesh (35.8), Tamil Nadu (32.1), Assam (31.9), Kerala (27), Gujarat (26.9) ,Jharkhand (24.3) and  Orissa (14.6),

  ECOR has 4% of IR's tracks

  7+% of IR's earnings in 2006-07, 2005-06, 2004-05

  15+%, 20+% and 27+% of IR's profit in 2006-07, 2005-06, 2004-05

  Gross Earnings and Profit

  2008-2009 (budget):  6034.11 crores and 3653.34 crores

  2007-2008: 5482.59 crores and 3368.20 crores

  2006-2007: 4425.18 crores and 2067.71 crores

  2005-2006: 3934.04 crores and 1809.98 crores

  2004-2005: 3312.71 crores and 1261.39 crores

  The profit mostly comes from transporting minerals available in the Adivasi districts of Orissa, AP and Chhatisgarh . Some of it should be ploughed back to those districts!

                      We propose to declare all the railway projects in KBK and bordering Chhatisgarh and Andhra Pradesh as national projects in the line of North Easter states, and

Our Demand

The KBK+ districts of Orissa and adjacent districts in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are the other frontier of India: among the most backward, inaccessible, tribal, extremist infested, and the farthest away from mainstream India. Khandhamal people have been isolated from the main stream of Orissa because of lack of connectivity. The district is full of Hills and does not have multiple entries and absolutely no Rail Links.

1.       Sanction a Kandhamal Rail Link.

2.       Railways must connect these areas during the 11^th plan. In particular,

a.        Khurda Rd ����alangir

b.       Naupada-Gunupur-Therubali

c.        Lanjigarh Rd ���▇awanipatna-Junagarh-Nabrangpur-Jeypore-Malkangiri

d.       Talcher-Bimlagarh

e.        Bangiriposi-Gurumahisasini and/or Buramara-Chakulia

3.       Railways must convert Mancheswar Coach Repair factory to a Coach Manufacturing Factory or sanction a Coach factory in KBK District.

4.       EAST COAST ZONE BHUBANESWAR

�屆�       Inclusion of Kharagpur OR Chakradharpur Division

�屆�       Rourkela and Rayagada are to be declared as Divisions.

�屆�       All places of mineral reservoirs of Orissa should be included in ECOR.

�屆�       A zonal Railway Hospital at Bhubaneswar is established.

�屆�       Orissa as a whole should remain in East Coast Zone.

�屆�       Supervisors and below workers appointment from Orissa only.

We Hope justice will be done through your intervention.

Thanking You,

Yours,

Truly,

People of Orissa.

Yours,
Lalit Pattnaik,
Working President, Agami Odisha &
Convener of Dharana on behalf of Agami odisha,

Swabhiman Odisha Munch,Loksamukhy,

Focus Orissa and Khurdha-Bolangir Rail Line Kriyanusthan Committee.