Berhampur & South Odisha remain the forgotten frontier of Indian Railways'

To,
Ms Mamata Banerjee
Hon’ble Union Minister of Railways
Room No. # 239
Rail Bhawan
New Delhi-110001

Subject: Railway Budget should address the longstanding demands of Berhampur and Southern region of Odisha

Respected Madam,

Berhampur city and South Odisha have always remained the forgotten frontier of Indian Railways'. There is a long history of repeated injustice towards Berhampur city and southern region of Odisha in successive Union Railway Budgets. Especially, the Railway Budgets of the last few years have become extremely unsympathetic and indifferent towards the genuine issues of Berhampur and south Odisha and this at a time when the union government claims to champion the cause of backward regions and aiming at inclusive economic development. South Odisha which is considered as one of the most backward pockets of the country has been deprived of the basic railway infrastructure and this is considered as the biggest stumbling block in the development of the region and its principal urban center, Berhampur.

      Almost half of the districts of south Odisha have no railway line and the remaining districts like Ganjam and Rayagada which have railway connectivity lack basic infrastructure and mostly serve the movement of freight than serving the needy railway passengers in the absence of adequate number of trains. The major railway stations including the one at Berhampur are languishing with utter neglect and repeated demands inside the parliament and on the streets simply go unnoticed. For what reason this backward region is being treated in this callous manner is simply beyond any logic and justification. People in most districts of the region are still living in the Stone Age with almost 40% people being primitive tribes; more than 70% of the population below the poverty line and a large majority of them illiterate. Added to this the recent spurt in Maoist menace has taken a toll on the masses of the region and lack of railway connectivity is one of the main causes for the present plight. While every central leader and Minister who see the plight of the masses here do sympathize with the people for the utter backwardness of the region, they forget the demands of the region when they are back in Delhi and while making policy interventions.

      As far as the deficit of railway infrastructure in Berhampur city is concerned, unmet demands, unfulfilled promises and false assurances galore as citizens of Berhampur city wait with bated breath for another Union Railway Budget, hoping for some sort of departure this time around. While large part of Ganjam has no rail connectivity; Gajapati and Phulbani Districts have no functional rail link at all and about five million people of these three districts depend solely on Berhampur railway station. Year after year railway budgets come and go, but issues of Berhampur remain unaddressed and people accept this perennial negligence as their fate. The demand for a coaching terminal complex is one such demand which people and even the state government have been making for past many years. Railway coaching terminal at Berhampur would solve some of the long felt problems of the people of Berhampur region. The terminal complex at Berhampur is crucial for the extension of long distance trains upto Berhampur and hence people of three districts who depend on this railway station have lot of stake in this project and have been pressing for the same for the past many years. Multi-functional Complexes were announced for 50 railway stations across the country in the previous railway Budget and yet Berhampur railway station, though classified as an “A” grade station was denied this though it caters to the needs of around five million people. Berhampur Railway station, built during the British era is a historic structure but has not been adequately developed though it caters to the needs of around five million people of the region. There is a long list of demands for new trains and railway lines, but, going by the past record most people want at least the issue of coaching terminal complex at Berhampur to be taken upurgently. Some other genuine demands like Gunupur-Therubali railway line, new trains between Berhampur-Rourkela and Berhampur-Koraput and extension of Orissa Sampark Kranti Express train upto Berhampur need to be looked into.

    Further, establishment of a railway manufacturing unit or other such measures like establishment of Railway personnel/staff training/finance/traffic institutes at Berhampur and other parts of South Odisha need to be considered sympathetically in view of the backwardness of the region and in recognition for the contributions made by the East Coast Railway to the central kitty.

     One railway budget is not enough to address the long pending issues and to undo the repeated negligence meted out to Berhampur and South Odisha, but we do hope that a biggining will be made this time when you rise to present the railway budget in the Parliament. Sincere steps are needed to address the above issues and the issue of coaching terminal at Berhampur in particular. Berhampur region and South-Odisha deserve better attention and augmentation in resources from the Indian railways to come out of the vicious circle of underdevelopment especially in the railway infrastructure front. Madam, we count on your commitment to bring positive changes for the perennially neglected regions of the country in rail transport sector by making railway budget an instrument of correcting the lopsided development in the Country and by ensuring just distribution of resources.

Warm Regards,

R.P. Tripathy

          Copy to: Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha

                       : Shri K.H.Muniyappa, Hon’ble Minister of State, Railways

                       : Shri E. Ahamed, Hon’ble Minister of State, Railways

                       : Shri T.R. Baalu, Standing Committee Chairman, Railways

                       : Shri S.S. Khurana, Chairman, Railway Board

                       : Shri A.K. Vohra, General Manager, East Coast Railway