Jeypore: A poster at Jeypore railway station here on construction of a new rail line between Jeypore- Malkangiri has drawn flak from rail users and denizens as the Centre without sanctioning the plan outlay for the project has announced its implementation, a report said Monday.
The posters stuck at the Jeypore railway station have been put up by the railway department which describes the implementation of various rail projects undertaken by the Centre.
The rail users and denizens asked how the Centre could announce implementation of the new rail route between Jeypore and Malkangiri without sanctioning any fund for the project.
The posters say, the 128.5 km rail route to Malkangiri will be constructed at a cost of Rs 2343.64 crore where there will be three passenger halts at Tanginiguda, Gobindpalli, and Mathiliand crossing stations at Phampuni, Boipariguda, Nunkhari, Sindhiguda, Pangam, Pandirpani road, Panchabati and Malkangiri.
While the first poster describes the doubling of Jagdalpur- Koraput rail line, the second poster explains the laying of a new rail line between Jeypore and Nabarangpur in South Orissa.
However, what has caught the fancy of many is the third poster describing the construction of a new rail line between Jeypore and Malkangiri.
The Centre had announced a plan outlay of Rs 79 crore in the last budget for the Jeypore and Malkangiri rain route but has not sanctioned a pie for the project. The rail users have termed the move unfortunate and an attempt to hoodwink people.
According to the unified standard schedule of rate-2010 of railway department the Union government announced two rail route projects about Jeypore-Nabarangpur and Jeypore Malkangiri.
The Centre after making public about the projects even undertook a survey. The Centre did not considered implementing the projects at earliest despite repeated requests from the state government.
The Centre later sanctioned Rs 1 lakh as token fund for the two projects in 2016-17 budgets after the state government proposed to implement the projects as joint venture in 2015.
The state government even announced to give land on free for Nabarangpur rail route and to bear 50 percent of its project cost as well as 25 per cent of the project cost of Malkanagiri rail route and signed an MoU with the railway department October 10, 2016.
The railway department on the basis of the MoU announced sanctioning of Rs 275 crore for Nabarangpur rail route and 79 crore for Malkangiri rail route in 2017-18 budget.
The Centre enhanced the sanctioned fund for Nabarangpur to Rs 747.91 crore while not sanctioning a pie for Malkangiri rail route July 5. While the Centre is insisting on free land for the Malkangiri rail route it is yet to sanction the plan outlay for the project.
The Centre is expediting the works on Nabarangpur rail route and plan to finish its construction within a period of three years. It has planned to construct passenger halt at Ambaguda and Kaliaguda and crossing stations at Borigumma and Nabarangpur.
When contacted, Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said the projects were announced during the Congress led UPA government in 2010 but the Modi government without spending a pie is only conducting a publicity drive. PNN