Rourkela: Even as the execution of the Talcher-Bimalagarah railway project hangs fire due to hurdles in acquisition of land, members of the Talcher-Bimalagarah Ralapatha Sangram Samiti met members of an Assembly Standing Committee on revenue, energy and environment here in Rourkela Friday.
The members of the Sangram Samiti – Adaita Prasad Biswal(President), Bishnu Mohanty, Hari Routray, Ramesh Bal, Bimal Bisi, Sudhir Sundaray and Mihir Ray — expressed concern over the stalemate in the ambitious rail project.
The Assembly committee comprised Raghunathpalli MLA Subrat Tarai, Paradip MLA Sambit Routray, Soro MLA Parsuram Dhada, Dharmgarh MLA Mousadhi Bag and Rajgangpur MLA CS Rajan Ekka.
They alleged that the project had failed to make headway due to lack of will power of the leadership even though there has been a struggle for 52 years for the project.
They pointed out that only Rs 140 crore has been allocated for the project in the current year. The Samiti members demanded more allocations for the project and wanted the Committee members to raise the issue in the Assembly.
The Assembly committee members assured that they would take forward the talk with the parties concerned.
The Samiti members demanded that the Chief Minister should protest such poor allocation for the railway project.
The ambitious railway project has been reportedly moving at a snail’s pace. Meanwhile, work on the 39 km railway line was completed from Ralchaer to Sunakhani.
It was learnt that 248 acres of private land, 138 acres of government land and 94 acres of forest land are to be acquired in Sundargarh.
In Angul, 562 acres of private land, 202 acres of government land and 163 acres of forest land are to be acquired for the project. Besides, 192 acres of private land, 81 acres of government land and 182 acres of forest land are yet to be acquired.
Notably, the project was supposed to be completed by 2019, but its deadline was extended to 2022, it was learnt.
It was learnt that the project requires 2088.77 acres. Of this, 1002.61 acres are private land. Besides, the project will pass through 663.78 acres of forest land while the process to hand over 59.31 acres has been completed.
It was in 1969 when Chhatra Kriyanustan Committee, an outfit of local students, had built up a movement over the project.
Since then, agitations are being carried out over the inordinate delay of the project. Then Chief Minister Rajendra Narayan Singhdeo had taken a serious note of the students’ movement for the important railway project.
The Chief Minister along with some MLAs had then met the then Prime Minister over the issue. A resolution on the railway project was passed in the Assembly. The Chief Minister and the MLAs had then submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister.
The railway project will pass through Angul, Deogarh and Sundargarh.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had held review meetings over the progress of the railway project in 2013 and 2014. The Chief Minister had directed the Collectors concerned to hasten the land acquisition.