Rajya Sabha member pitches for rail wagon factory in Ganjam

BJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Renubala Pradhan has urged the railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal to expedite construction of proposed railway wagon factory at Sitalapalli in Ganjam district and make budgetary provisions for Gopalpur-Rayagada and Berhampur-Sambalpur new railway lines. The Planning Commission had accorded 'in principle' approval of the ministry's proposal for laying 258-km Gopalpur-Rayagada railway line in June last year at an estimated cost of Rs 1,392.32 crore, she said. "The railway line assumes significance as a number of industries are coming up in Rayagada while a mega port is being constructed at Gopalpur and a satellite port of the Paradip Port Limited is proposed at Bahuda near Gopalpur. Moreover, Gopalpur is a famous tourist town and draws tourists throughout the year. The new track will also pass through Maoist-hit areas of Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal and Rayagada districts," she said in the memorandum to the railway minister. Similarly, the railway minister had announced to set up the railway wagon factory at Sitalapalli in the 2011-12 railway budget. In the last budget around Rs 1 crore was allotted for it. The government has also identified around 100 acre at Sitalapalli, about 20 km from here, she said.

Source: Times of India