Odisha CM\'s letters to PM over railway issues create panic among SCoR aspirants
VISAKHAPATNAM: While job aspirants are jubilant over the positive developments on notifying the proposed South Coastal Railway zone with Visakhapatnam headquarters recently, a purported letter by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a new railway division and the expansion of the East Coast Railway raised fears of slowing the momentum that gathered in the last few weeks for the SCoR.
If the letters are true and latest, the aspirants noted that the Centre may take this advantage of Odisha's demands to act slowly on the SCoR works.
J.V.V. Satyanarayana, the convener of SCoR Zone Sadhana Samiti, however, said that if the AP government acts seriously to speed up the works of the Vizag zone, there will be no impact of the Odisha government demands.
“Politicians of Odisha have stronger will power than our leaders. They can do anything. Our public representatives should take this seriously,' said Murthy.
When contacted, Visakhapatnam Parliamentarian MVV Satyanarayana said, “Such letters have no effect on the progress of SCoR. We are ready to fight if anything goes against the aspirations of our people.”
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior railway official of the Waltair Railway Division, said, “As per the information available with us, there is no such fresh letter or channel of communication from Odisha Chief Minister to the Prime Minister regarding Railways. It's a rumour. The railway zone works will begin shortly with the floating of tenders. We are waiting for the green signal from the Railway Board."
When contacted, a reliable source at the East Coast Railway Zone headquarters in Bhubaneswar said, “Since March 2019, the Odisha government has written several letters to the Prime Minister's Office and Railway Ministry regarding some issues including setting up and expansion of a new railway division with the Rourkela division headquarters. However, all the letters are old and there is no latest letter from the Odisha CM to PM.”
The Odisha government wanted the new railway division at Rourkela covering Jharsuguda-Barswan-Kiriburu, Rourkela-Nugaon and Hemgir-Jharsuguda sections of South Eastern Railway (SER).
