Rail Link to Berhampur Eludes Rourkela

A population of around two lakh from Ganjam district reside in the district of Sundargarh. This, notwithstanding, the State’s industrial capital, Rourkela, continues to lack a direct train link to Berhampur. As of now, only three buses ply directly to Berhampur which fails to cater to the needs of Ganjam populace residing in various parts of the industrial and mining district of Sundargarh. Sources said Ganjam-bound train passengers board at Rourkela, travel till Bhubaneswar and take another train to reach Berhampur undertaking 13 to 15 hours of tiresome journey for a total distance of 566 km. People are dependent on three non-AC buses with two plying via Aska and one through Bhubanewsar. The bone-breaking bus journey takes 14 to 16 hours.

Nikhil Utkal Ayra Khandayat Samaj (NUAKS) member, Narayan Mohanty, said bus journeys are hectic and miserable, especially for children and elderly persons.   The Rajyarani Express with only one rake has been introduced with an aim of connecting major cities in Odisha, but it remains confined between Rourkela and Bhubaneswar for technical reasons. Rail Users’ Association (RUA) general secretary, Amulya Kumar Baral, said technical hurdles cited by East Coast Railway (ECoR) are not entirely justified. He said as an immediate relief, one more rake of Rajyarani Express should be introduced and the Palasa washing line under ECoR could be utilised for washing and maintenance to run the train till Berhampur. Baral said they have been unsuccessfully pressing for a separate direct train with the name of Gajapati Express between Rourkela and Berhampur for long. As the proposed Rourkela-Berhampur route via Talcher remains congested, the new train could be run via Chakradharpur and Keonjhar route and the distance to Berhampur would be less than 600 kms, he added. A native of Ganjam, Gobinda Barik, lamented the lack of political unity and said the demand loses steam as different parties including the ruling BJD pursue the issue separately. Rourkela unit BJD president, AC Mohanty, felt that the demand is legitimate while NUAKS general secretary, Bipin Lenka, said they are mobilising various forums in Ganjam to build pressure.

Source: New Indian Express