By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Orissa has been neglected in interim railway budget presented by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in Parliament Friday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here.
“I am disappointed as Orissa has been neglected,” Patnaik told reporters here, adding that only one new express train was proposed to be introduced in the state in 2009-2010.
“Frequencies of only two trains have been increased, and no new train originating from Orissa has been extended,” he said.
Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram Express was announced in the railway budget 2007-2008 but it is yet to be introduced, he added.
The chief minister said the railway ministry was requested to allot Rs.15,020 crore (Rs.150.2 billion) for execution of various projects underway in Orissa.
“As project wise allotment of funds in the interim budget is not available, I will not be able to comment about the total funds allotted for various ongoing railway projects in the state,” he said.
“But overall, I am disappointed as Orissa has been neglected in this railway budget,” Patnaik said.
The state government had requested for introduction of at least 14 new trains but got only one, Orissa Commerce and Transport Minister Jayanarayan Mishra said in a statement.
“Similarly, we had requested for increase in frequency of at least five trains. However, only two have been done. In the interim budget, 25 surveys have been proposed comprising 14 new rail lines, three gauge conversions and eight doubling projects. But to our disappointment, no new survey has been announced for any project in our state,” he said.