Chandikhole: Although 18 months have passed since the completion and handover of the Haridaspur-Paradip rail route to the East Coast Railways, passenger train services are yet to commence. The Railways checked the tracks and started plying goods trains on the route from July 30, 2020, but it is yet to start passenger train services on this rail route.
The Railways had then expressed their inability to launch passenger train services on the route due to Covid-19 restrictions. It had assured to start passenger trains on the route from December 2020 after restrictions were lifted.
The 82-km long Haridaspur-Paradip rail route passes through Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts. The people from three districts – Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, had launched a series of agitations demanding passenger train services on the route.
The Railways had then said that the aim of laying the rail route was to transport cargo to Paradip port and facilitate arrival of domestic and international tourists to the famous Buddhist shrines at Lalitgiri, Udayagiri and Ratnagiri – known as the diamond triangle of Jajpur district.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for construction of the rail route in 1997. It was then said that the rail route was necessary to help Buddhists and tourists visit the three shrines. As a result, two stations were constructed for Laliltgiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri shrines. It was also claimed that the Haridaspur-Paradip rail route will connect Kendrapara district in the railway map, which did not have any rail route.
The Union government sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the development of infrastructure of the rail route in the 2021 Railway Budget. However, passenger train service is yet to start on the route. A local outfit, ‘Anchalik Nagarik Manch’, has warned to intensify its agitation if passenger train service is not launched on the route within the next three months.
Moreover, the state unit of Samajwadi Party has tweeted to Railway Minister Aswini Vaishnaw demanding passenger train services on the route, said Rabi Behera, president of the Odisha unit.
Behera said that the Railway Minister will visit Odisha January 7 to inaugurate Nilagiri-Balasore rail route. The party expects that Vaishnaw would also announce the commencement of passenger train services on the Haridaspur-Paradip route on this day.
When contacted, Nirakar Das, public relations officer (PRO) of East Coast Railways said that work at some stations on this rail route are underway. The passengers trains will commence on this route after the completion of the development works, he added.
