New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Highlighting the decade-long delay in rail connectivity in three tribal districts of Odisha – Jeypore, Nabarangpur, and Malkangiri, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Muzibulla Khan, Tuesday said in the Rajya Sabha that his party will not allow the Railway Minister to visit the state if the promised rail projects are not completed.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Khan said that in 2016, when the BJD government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was in power in the state, two MoUs were signed in the presence of the then Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
As per the first MoU, he said, the Odisha government agreed to provide land and bear 50 per cent of the construction cost for the 40-km-long Jeypore-Nabarangpur rail line.
The second MoU pertained to a 140-km rail line between Jeypore and Malkangiri under which the state government committed to bearing 25 per cent of the total project cost.
“When we (BJD) were in power in Odisha, the BJP used to claim that a double-engine government at both the Centre and the state would ensure the completion of these projects.
It has been two years since such a government came to power in Odisha, yet construction has not even begun,” Khan said.
Pointing to the long-standing neglect of the region, he added, “Since Independence, the people of Nabarangpur have not seen a railway line.”
Calling the delay unfortunate, Khan said it was ‘painful’ that the Railway Minister (Ashwini Vaishnaw) – who was sent to the Rajya Sabha twice with the support of Naveen Patnaik – had been unable to ensure the construction of even a 40-km rail line.
Reiterating his demand for the immediate commencement of work, Khan warned in the House, “If these railway lines are not constructed, we will not allow the Railway Minister to visit Odisha.”
