BHUBANESWAR: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create a railway division in Odisha and integrate four districts presently under the South Eastern Railway (SER).
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Congress leader expressed concern over Waltair division merging its core area with SCoR. “This decision reflects a state-centric approach to railway restructuring, prioritising the interests of Andhra Pradesh at the cost of Odisha,” Jena said.
Stating that while Andhra Pradesh can have its own railway zone with divisions like Guntur, Vijayawada, and Guntakal, Jena described the bifurcation of ECoR’s Waltair division as “unjust.” He said the bifurcation is made by undermining ECoR’s efficiency and stagnating Odisha’s railway development.
“If the government is moving towards state-centric railway zones, then the priority should be to strengthen Odisha’s railway network by integrating the state’s districts currently under other zones. I urge you to create a division in Odisha and integrate Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, and Jharsuguda districts—currently under South Eastern Railway (SER)—into ECoR,” Jena mentioned in the letter.
Noting that the ECoR has been the highest revenue-generating zone in Indian Railways, with an annual revenue exceeding Rs 20,000 crore and an exceptional operating ratio of 47 per cent far below the national average, Jena said the recent decision will significantly weaken ECoR, pushing its financial ranking below the top 10 zones and causing an estimated revenue loss of Rs 10,000 crore annually.
He said the recent decision will lead to stagnation, reduced railway investment, and economic setbacks for Odisha.
