Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress has urged Union Government to create another Railway Division in Odisha and integrate four districts presently under the South Eastern Railway (SER). The demand was made by former Union Minister Srikant Jena on Sunday and wrote a letter in this regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He strongly opposing the recent Union Cabinet decision to operationalise the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone by bifurcating the Waltair Division.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Congress leader expressed concern over Waltair division merging its core area with SCoR. “This decision reflects a state-centric approach to railway restructuring, prioritising the interests of Andhra Pradesh at the cost of Odisha,” Shri Jena said in the letter.
Stating that while Andhra Pradesh can have its own railway zone with divisions like Guntur, Vijayawada, and Guntakal, Shri Jena described the bifurcation of ECoR’s Waltair division as “unjust.” He said the bifurcation is made by undermining ECoR’s efficiency and stagnating Odisha’s railway development.
“If the government is moving towards state-centric railway zones, then the priority should be to strengthen Odisha’s railway network by integrating the state’s districts currently under other zones. I urge you to create a division in Odisha and integrate Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, and Jharsuguda districts—currently under South Eastern Railway (SER)—into ECoR,” Shri Jena pointed out.
Noting that the ECoR has been the highest revenue-generating zone in Indian Railways, with an annual revenue exceeding Rs 20,000 crore and an exceptional operating ratio of 47 per cent far below the national average, Jena said the recent decision will significantly weaken ECoR, pushing its financial ranking below the top 10 zones and causing an estimated revenue loss of Rs 10,000 crore annually.
He said the recent decision will lead to stagnation, reduced railway investment, and economic setbacks for Odisha. “I request an immediate review of this restructuring process to ensure that ECoR’s efficiency, revenue potential, and Odisha’s railway infrastructure are not compromised,”, Shri Jena lamented.
Former Union Minister also urged the Primer Minister to reconsider the decision and take corrective measures in the interest of Odisha and ECoR.
Earlier, Odisha BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal had said the bifurcation of Waltair division will not affect the ECoR zone as it will get the newly formed Rayagada division.