Bhubaneswar: Activists of the ruling BJD Wednesday staged symbolic rail roko at Brahmapur and Sambalpur railway stations of Orissa to protest against low allocation for the state in the Union Budget of 2018-19 and caused several trains to be stranded.
The BJD activists led by MLA Pradeep Panigrahi detained trains at Brahmapur railway station from 7 am to 8 am. Railways official said the agitation left the Puri-Ahmedabad Express and fast passenger trains stranded.
The agitators said the state was allotted Rs 5,252 crore for the different railway projects when the government had demanded Rs 6,500 crore. Panigrahi alleged that the Centre had completely ignored Orissa’s demands, including the one for a railway wagon factory at Sitalapalli in Ganjam district and new railway lines.
In Sambalpur, the agitation was led by BJP MLA Raseswari Panigrahi. The BJD activists staged the rail roko at Khetrajpur railway station for 30 minutes alleging the Centre’s negligence towards western Orissa in the Union budget.
The activists squatted on the track from 8 am to 8.30 am due to which the Bengaluru-Hatia Express was stranded at the station, the Railways officials. PNN
