Odisha House Committee presents Rs 5,000 cr wish list to Rly Minister

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi, Jan 6:

Odisha Assembly’s House Committee on Railways headed by Speaker Niranjan Pujari today met Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and placed before him a demand to allocate Rs 5,000 crore for the state in the upcoming Railway Budget.

The House Committee members urged the Union Minister to give special importance to Odisha in the Railway Budget.

Similarly, the Committee urged the Minister for implementing the earlier announced wagon manufacturing project in Bolangir.

MPs and MLAs of all political parties from the state were present during the House Committee’s meeting with the Union Minister.

“We have sought Rs 5,000 crore for Odisha in the ensuing Railway Budget, while giving top priority to ongoing projects. We have also given priority to projects in KBK region,” said Speaker Niranjan Pujari briefing reporters after the meeting.

“Last year Odisha had got more than what it had asked for, this year too it will also get more allocations in the upcoming Railway Budget,” stated Pradip Purohit, BJP member in the House Committee.

“We discussed for running -two new trains-Bhubaneswar to Jeypore and another Koraput –Kolkata- Vizianagram via Bhubaneswar and extension of five trains. He (Minister) has promised to extend the five trains while he will consider for running one new train,” said Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Opposition chief whip in the state Assembly who is also a member of the House Committee.