Raghunath Mohanty asks Industrial houses to help government raise growth rate

Economic Times reports

ROURKELA: Odisha government has claimed to have taken special measures with focus on value addition of mineral resources in order to boost economic growth and said industries must play a key role in this direction.

This was stated by state Industries and Steel and Mines minister Raghunath Mohanty at a function marking the golden jubilee celebrations of Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) here last night.

The minister said all industrial houses and general public should extend their cooperation to the government to raise overall growth of the state to double digit by 2012-13.

Efforts are underway to make it mandatory for private mining lease holders to provide 70 per cent of the iron ore to state based industries for domestic consumption and Odisha Mining Corporation would ensure supply of 80 per cent of its production to industries in Sundargarh District, he said.

All possible support would be extended to Sundargarh presently facing industrial slowdown and necessary measures would also be taken to tide over the problems due to high cost of iron ore, the minister said adding he would take up the issue of increase power tariff with higher officials.

The scarcity of coal supply would be sorted out and the government was contemplating suitable amendment through a deal for effective regulation of ground water he said.

The government envisages economic progress through industrial expansion and agriculture development and plans are afoot for industrial parks, auto complex, and food processing parks in the state.

The big industrial houses should create conditions for setting up of downstream industries as state government has been laying adequate thrust on small and medium industries in the state, the minister said.

However, he admitted that land acquisition, pollution control, smooth implementation, R and R policy and quality technical institutions continue to be major challenges.

Earlier, RCCI members highlighted hindrances to industrial growth of the district including bad roads, inadequate rail infrastructure, absence of air connectivity, rising cost of raw materials and power.

State may lose out on IIM on 12th Plan period

Daily Pioneer reports

Chances of Odisha having an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the Twelfth Plan period look bleak.

Sources in the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development say the Ministry will be recommending four new IITs but no new IIMs in the Twelfth Plan period. With four new IITs, as many major States will have an IIT each.

However, the proposed plan to have no new IIMs means Odisha and a few other States will lose out on the IIMs. In 2008, when eight new IITs and seven new IIMs were announced, it was proposed that each of those States would have a new IIT or a new IIM, not both. A State which got an IIM last time and does not already have an IIT will now get an IIT.

But since the 12th plan will not have any new IIMs, Odisha will miss an IIM. It is high time the Odisha Government pursued with the Planning Commission and the Prime Minister against such injustice to the State, pointed out leading NRO (non-resident Odia) Chitta Baral, who teaches at the Arizona State University in the US.

Given the large-scale investment in the industrial sector, the requirement of management graduates in Odisha has gone up manifold. While the XIMB has opened the facility here in the mid-80s, several management outfits have come up during the intervening period.

However, the State needs an IIM, and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, justified the demand by highlighting the massive investments lined up in the State’s industrial and other sectors.

Patnaik said an IIM is imperative to develop requisite human resources in the State. The Chief Minister had also impressed upon Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to set up a Central Government management institute in the State. He has all along assured that the State Government would provide the requisite land and other infrastructure for the purpose.

Now, it seems once again the State Government would have to press hard with the Union Government and the Planning Commission to earmark an IIM for Odisha, said Baral.

Improving Railway connectivity from Rourkela to South India

South India has always attracted people from all over the country in terms of job and education. Major IT hubs and a number of good educational institutes are present all over the region, the major being Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. A number of people from Rourkela as well as rest of Odisha work in these places. So the connectivity to these places needs to be improved, the measures are as follows

IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY TO CHENNAI

Currently Rourkela-Chennai by Dhanbad/Tata-Alleppey is 1449 kms and it takes 32 hours.The journey is tiresome and hectic, the train is nothing more than a crawler till it crosses Andhra Pradesh into Tamil Nadu. This train stops at almost every station on its way just like a passenger train and is the first preference of locals in Andhra. It is always overcrowded and even AC coaches are not spared, what to talk of Sleeper and General Class. This train departs before Hatia/Tata-Yesvantpur from Vizianagram but reaches after Hatia-Yesvantpur at Visakhapatnam (Tata-Yesvantpur bypasses Visakhapatnam).

The distance between Bhubaneswar and Chennai is 1226 kms. which is covered in 21 hours 25 mins by Howrah-Chennai Mail, and in 20 hours 55 mins by Bhubaneswar-Chennai Express. If a superfast Express between Rourkela and Chennai is proposed then it can take the timing of Bhubaneswar-Chennai Express from Visakhapatnam. The total time in this journey will be around 25 hours 55 mins.

IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY TO BANGALORE

The route Rourkela-Yesvantpur is 1737 kms and is covered by 31 hours 55 mins by Hatia/Tata-Yesvantpur Express.(It includes 255 kms. of non-stop running between Vijayawada and Nellore by Hatia-Yesvantpur Express). The distance between Nellore and Gudur is 39 kms. however the slot assigned between these stations is 1 hour 19 mins., which should be reduced.



And another interesting fact is that most of the time these trains reach their stations much before their scheduled time,say 30 mins, and have to wait until their original departure time. This happened once at Gudur, when the train reached there at 7:50 pm and had to wait till 8:15 pm, the stop being only of 2 mins.During a journey 1.5 hours was lost in waiting at stations, howver the train was able to reach at its destination at time. This train can complete the journey in 28 hours 40 mins. or utmost 30 hours.The frequency of these trains need to be increased so that the whole of Western Odisha gets daily availablity to Bangalore.

I FEEL THAT THERE IS NO RESERVATION QUOTA,FOR PASSENGERS FROM ODISHA IN BANGALORE BOUND TRAINS. First the seats from Ranchi and Jamshedpur are filled up then the remaining seats are given to Odisha passengers. Most of the time people have to travel by getting Tatkal accomodation. thus paying more than their Jharkhand counterparts and adding more revenue to the Railways. Hence sufficient number of seats should be made available to the passengers of Odisha.

Further the coaches provided in Hatia-Yesvantpur Express are old, shabby and in a tottering condition. New rakes should be provided for this train.


Most of the trains going to Bangalore from Bhubaneswar take the route via Chennai which is about 1588 kms. and is covered in 28 hours 10 mins. while the same is covered by Prashanti Express in 30 hours 25 mins via Guntur,Guntakal,Dharamavaram ,Sri Satya Sai Prashanti Nilayam ,which is about 1638 kms

The superfast Bhubaneswar-Yesvantpur (via Renigunta,Tirupati,Chittoor,Katpadi) takes just 27 hours 30 mins to reach its destination covering a distance of 1518 kms.

If a superfast between Rourkela and Bangalore City via Chennai is proposed then it will take 1449 kms.+362 kms. = 1811 kms. and the total journey time will be around 29 hours.( 23 hours to Chennai and 6 hours to Bangalore)

Korba-Yesvantpur Wainganga Express via Bilaspur,Raipur and Kacheguda (Hyderabad) takes 30 hours 50 mins to cover a distance of 1602 kms. It takes 27 hours 45 mins to cover 1513 kms. between Bilaspur and Yesvantpur. If a superfast between Rourkela and Bangalore City is proposed then it will cover 1519+306= 1825 kms. in 33 hours 30 minutes.

So compiling all the above given facts, the conclusions are

 Increase the frequency of Hatia-Yesvantpur Express to 4 days a week and Tata-Yesvantpur Express to 3 days a week

 Introduce a Weekly Rourkela-Yesvantpur Superfast Express on the same timing of Hatia/Tata-Yesvantpur Express

 Introduce a Weekly Rourkela-Bangalore City Superfast Express on the same timing slot of Korba-Yesvantpur Wainganga Express. This will connect Hyderabad and Bangalore with Rourkela

 Introduce Biweekly Rourkela-Chennai Superfast Express on the timings of Bhubaneswar-Chennai Express from Visakhapatnam. This can also run up to Bangalore via Chennai

 Enroute Guwahati-Chennai Express or any train from North East or Bihar to Chennai to go via Rourkela,Jharsuguda,Sambalpur, Titlagarh,Rayagada, Vizianagram, Visakhaptnam/Duvada, twice a week. It should be noted that two Guwahati-Chennai Express travel via Tatanagar ,twice a week

By implementing any two of the above mentioned measures we can improve the connectivity of Rourkela with South India to a large extent.

Choudwar-Rourkela Industrial Corridor begins

IBNlive reports

BHUBANESWAR: The state government has started work on development of a railway corridor through Choudwar to Rourkela to allow ease of inward and outward transportation of goods from the industrial hubs and mining belts along the region.

Land acquisition for the project, the first of its kind initiative by a state government, has already been initiated by the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco). The project would go on ground after the land acquisition and is targeted to be completed by 2015, said Idco CMD Priyabrata Patnaik on Friday.

The corridor involves development of extensive rail and road connectivity, along with provisioning of water supply and other infrastructural facilities. The corridor would encompass two track railway lines and six-lane road passing through the industrial hubs and the coal mining belts. New industrial areas and downstream units would be developed along the corridor.

Common infrastructure facilities under the corridor would solve the problems of inward and outward transportation of goods and minerals. The stretch would pass through the heart of coal mining operations in the state, which harbours about 65 billion tonne of reserves. The coal reserves in the Talcher belt only is around 43 billion tonne.

The corridor would cover 17 large and mega-industries, along with 57 other units, through the stretch from Choudwar to Rourkela. Traffic projection on the route is given out as 8.7 million tonne.

The route would have 163 km of railway track length and 465 km on road. As many as 308 minor bridges and 77 major bridges would have to be constructed on it, said Patnaik.

Jareikela station lies in neglect

News from IBNlive

ROURKELA: Declared abandoned in 2006, the dilapidated railway station building at Jareikela in Sundargarh district, bordering Jharkhand, poses serious threat to the lives of employees and passengers.

�Ironically, there is no obvious reason for the inordinate delay in setting up the proposed new building by the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway (SER).

�The nondescript Jareikela station, about 30 km from Rourkela, falls in the Maoist-hit Bisra block. The existing station building is one of the oldest with asbestos roof. It houses the office, ticket counter, rest room and track signal system. The walls have developed wide cracks and the artificial ceiling is dilapidated.

Nearly a dozen SER staff in different shifts fear for their lives while on duty.

When rain lashed the area for days together last month, they feared that the structure would cave in. An old giant tree at the backyard is also leaning dangerously on the weak structure.

�Local weaver of Kopsingha village in Jareikela gram panchayat, Somnath Raha said the SER seems to have no concern for innocent lives. Expressing surprise at the whimsical attitude of the SER, he said while the platform floor is being laid with new tiles, there is no sign of a new building.

�Chakradharpur-based SER spokesperson AK Haldar promised that the Division would probe the matter for immediate corrective measures.

�SER sources said the record of the present ongoing construction project does not reflect the new station building plan.

BSLC halts limestone, dolomite production on green concerns

A report in Economic Times

ROURKELA: State-run Bisra Stone Lime Company (BSLC) has stopped production of limestone and dolomite following a directive from the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).

Company sources said mining operations had to be stopped last week following the direction of the OSPCB, Bhubaneswar, after environment clearance for the mining sites expired on March 31, 2011.

OSPCB had issued a letter on November 9 mentioning that consent to operate cannot be considered because the company has not submitted the environment clearance in respect of their mines, they said.

However, BSLC claimed it has got all the valid mining papers and requested the OSPCB to issue consent to operate on the basis of the valid environment clearance for 18,000 tonnes of production per month.

Due to the halt in production, the century-old BSLC has been facing difficulties in supplying material to customers like Steel Authority of India Limited and Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited, sources said.

The company, meanwhile, has applied to the State Pollution Control Board for renewal of environment clearance for the mines after meeting all criteria, they said.

BSLC Mining Operations Chief Anup Bage said there was no forest land in its mining area and the company has been planting trees in its area regularly to keep the surroundings pollution free, with a green cover.

The company has also been making payment of royalty and abiding by all statutory rules of the state government.

Meanwhile, Independent MLA from Biramitrapur George Tirkey has demanded immediate steps for resumption of production by BSLC at Biramitrapur, in Sundargarh district, as about 25,000 persons -- including more than 1,000 regular employees -- depend on the company for a living.

Moreover, the company is situated in a tribal area and more than 80 per cent of its employees are tribals.

150 Indian players sign up for WSH

Report from IBNlive

Mumbai: Notwithstanding the Hockey India diktat asking players to either stay away from the World Series Hockey (WSH) or risk losing their place in the national side, the current Indian team members have signed on and received advanced payments to play in the league beginning next month.

A total of 150 Indian players, including all the top stars from the present national side, have virtually signed a three-year-contract with the organisers of the league to be played across different cities of the country from December 17 to January 22.

WSH is a lucrative franchise-based event organised by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Nimbus Sports. IHF is not affiliated to the FIH and the world body recognises Hockey India (HI) as the national federation.
The tournament has been in the centre of the 'club vs country' controversy.

The tournament has been in the centre of the 'club vs country' controversy as it is not a FIH-sanctioned event.

FIH has also threatened to bar the players from its future tournaments if they take part in WSH. The world body has suggested the players to wait till 2013 when FIH and Hockey India launch their own world league.

A media release from the organisers on Thursday claimed that veteran forwards Arjun Halappa and Prabhjot Singh, goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza and mid-fielder Sardar Singh have been signed up by the organisers to play in the tournament that would feature eight franchise teams for 61 matches.

These players will be captains in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

The other Indian players include ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, current captain Rajpal Singh, goalkeeper Bharat Chetri and emerging champion Yuvraj Walmiki, who dazzled with his tournament-winning goal at the Asian Champions Challenge.

WSH also marks the comeback of former players Viren Rasquinha and Dhanraj Pillay.

The league will also see the participation of Gurjinder Singh, the India U-21 captain, 19-year-old forward Kangujam Chinglensana Singh, forward Victo Singh and the best player of the last National Games, S K Uthappa.

Prominent international players who are on the roster include Baljeet Singh, Deepak Thakur, Dhananjay Mahadik, Diwakar Ram, Gurbaj Singh, Mandeep Antil, Prabodh Tirkey, Roshan Minz, Shivendra Singh, S V Sunil, Tushar Khandker, and William Xalxo.

"I am really excited about playing in the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey. It's a great initiative for the sport of hockey and I can't wait to play alongside the best hockey players from India and around the world," said Prabhjot Singh.

Karl Da Costa, Deputy General Manager, Nimbus Sport, said, "We are proud to announce the participation of all the star Indian players in World Series Hockey. One of the key focus areas for the league is to fortify the talent pool of hockey in India and it will be a splendid display of skill as our Indian champions will play with global superstars."

The WSH will involve 200 leading players - Indian and international - who will showcase their talent in 61 matches.

It will be a multi-city franchise-based league with players being allocated to the teams based on the internationally accepted and practised 'draft' system.

The inaugural edition of the league, with a total prize money of approximately USD two million, will comprise eight teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

Night trains may get green signal in Red Zone

Report from IBNlive

ROURKELA: Night trains chugging through the busy Howrah-Mumbai route of the South Eastern Railways (SER) may soon become a reality here if the news percolating from top railway and security officials is any indication. There has been a restriction on night trains along Rourkela-Kharagpur section following Maoist attacks. However, there has been no official word from the SER on the decision.
Sources said the Railway Ministry, under tremendous public pressure, has decided to re-run trains at night. The move was backed by several rounds of meetings by security forces of Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal in the last fortnight. They reportedly have given safety clearance prompting the Railway Ministry to give a green signal.
Train services between 10 pm and 5 am on the Rourkela-Kharagpur and Kharagpur-Adra sections of the SER have been suspended since May 28 last year after Maoists allegedly blew up tracks in Bengal to derail the Jnaneswari Express leading to heavy casualties.
While restriction on the Kharagpur-Adra section was removed recently, any decision on the Rourkela-Kharagpur section lingered till recently.
The Kolkata-based CDPO Soumitra Majumdar said any written communication to this effect is awaited from the Railway Board. Similarly, Sundargarh Collector Rupa Roshan Sahu said her office is yet to receive any communication.
Jharkhand’s Chaibasa-based DIG Naveen Singh said in larger public interest trains should run at night, adding they have time and again assured the railways of necessary security. Rourkela SP Himanshu Lal asserted that adequate security will be ensured.
Officials requesting anonymity said night train services are likely to be restored in a few days.
The decision follows the recent visit of the Parliament Railway Convention Committee to Rourkela.

Repair works on Howrah-Mumbai mainline, Trains to be affected

Rail movement on Howrah-Mumbai mainline is likely to be affected on 21st and 22nd of this month, due to repairing of Bridge no.206(DN) on Goilkera-Posoita section of Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway. According to sources, Train no. 58115/58116 Chakradharpur-Rourkela-Chakradharpur Saranda Passenger has been cancelled for two days while Howrah-Titlagarh Ispat Express and Bilaspur-Tatanagar Special have been short terminated.Services of Ispat Express has been suspended between Chakradharpur and Rourkela, and this train will ply between Howrah and Chakradharpur as 12871 and return from Chakradharpur to Howrah as 12872.The same will also apply between Rourkela and Titlagarh. 08114 Bilaspur-Tatanagar Passenger will originate from Rourkela and will ply to Bilaspur.

Some trains plying between Rourkela and Howrah/Tatanagar have been diverted,especially those running on down line. These trains will be diverted via Hatia-Muri-Koteshila-Purulia-Chandil-Tatanagar on 21st and 22nd November. 18189/18190 Tata-Alleppey Express is on this list while its counterpart 13351/13352 Dhanbad-Alleppey Express has been rescheduled.Similarly 18029 Lokmanya Tilak(T)-Shalimar Express which will depart on 19th from LTT, will be diverted via Hatia-Muri on 21st November. 12833 Ahmedabad-Howrah Express departing on 19th and 20th November will be diverted via Hatia-Muri to reach Tatanagar on 21st and 22nd November. Other trains like 12905 Porbandar-Howrah Express and 18006 Koraput-Howrah Samaleswari Express have also been rescheduled.Railway authorities have been directed to handle the situation arising of this rescheduling and have been instructed to complete the repair works as soon as possible.

Why Rourkela Division should be constituted immedietly?

This post is based on how a Railway Zone known as South Eastern Railways has exploited the mineral rich industrial region of Odisha, and has always pursued a biased attitude towards the development of the state.

Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Kendujhargarh districts of Odisha , account for the huge revenue generated by Chakradharpur Division and hence also for South Eastern Railway Zone, but unfortunately remain the most neglected regions in comparison to rail connectivity and facilities in the other part of the country.

Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway has emerged as the highest revenue generating division in the country, a number of times. The sole reason for this is notable achievement is the mineral rich Chotanagpur Plateau region popularly known as “Ruhr of India” due to its innumerable industries. This region comprises of the mineral rich Sundargarh,Kendujhargarh and Jharsuguda Districts of Odisha from where Iron Ore and other minerals are transported throughout the country.

The region also has a number of heavy industries like Rourkela Steel Plant, Rourkela; OCL-Rajgangpur; Tata Refractories, Belpahar,Adhunik Metalliks-Rourkela; L&T- Kansbahal, Bhusan Steel and Powers –Jharsuguda; Vedanta-Jharsuguda; GOCL,Rourkela etc. which pay a huge amount to the railways for transportation of raw materials as well as finished products. Hence a lot of freight activity is noticed in this region.

Odisha state has got 2495 kms. of railway route, of which 337 kms. the highest in the state, passes through Sundargarh District. Only Sundargarh district generates about Rs 800 crores annually, which accounts for 40% of the total revenue generated by Chakradharpur Division. Similarly Jharsuguda is an emerging industrial hub with a number of operating mega projects, while a number of industries are in the offing. Kendujhargarh is popular for its innumerous mines.
So its natural that the people will have high expectations from the Railway Budget every year but most of the times they are met with empty hands.
I. The figures mentioned here are a comparison between the major cities in the region,which are administered by South Eastern Railways i.e. Rourkela, Jamshedpur (Tatanagar) and Ranchi.

City Total Number of Express
Trains
Ranchi 35
Rourkela 30
Tatanagar 37


City Total Number of Express
Trains Terminating
Ranchi 28
Rourkela 02
Tatanagar 06

City Total Frequency
Ranchi 134
Rourkela 132
Tatanagar 166

City Weekly Aavailability
At Stations
Ranchi 268
Rourkela 264
Tatanagar 332


II. List of Express Trains that have been introduced/extended from/to Ranchi, Tatanagar and Rourkela in the last 10 years

RANCHI

Hatia-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Express
Ranchi-Patna Janshatabdi Express
Ranchi-Bhagalpur Vananchal Express
Ranchi-Jaynagar Express
Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express
Hatia-Patna Express
Ranchi-Dhanbad Intercity Express
Hatia-Yesvantpur Express
Ranchi-Varanasi/Ajmer Garib Nawaz Express
Ranchi-New Delhi Jharkhand Sampark Kranti Express
Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, via Gomoh
Ranchi-Chopan Express
Ranchi-New Delhi Garib Rath Express
Guwahati-Ranchi Express
Howrah-Ranchi Express via Dhanbad
Hatia-Bhubaneswar Garib Rath Express ( Now Dhanbad-Bhubaneswar Garib Rath Express)
Howrah-Ranchi Express via Kharagpur
Ranchi-Pune Express

ROURKELA

Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express
Rourkela-Koraput Express

TATANAGAR

Tata-Yesvantpur Express
Tatanagar-Amritsar Jallianwalabagh Express
Dhanbad-Tatanagar Subarnarekha Express
Asansol-Tatanagar Express



III. Other trains which have been introduced during this period via these stations

RANCHI

Sambalpur-Varanasi Express
Darbhanga-Hyderabad Express

ROURKELA

Howrah-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Samarsata Express
Howrah-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Jnaneswari Express
Hatia-Lokmanya Tialk(T) Express
Howrah-Mumbai Express
Guwahati-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Karmabhoomi Express
Howrah-Shirdi Sai Nagar Express
Hatia-Yesvantpur Express
Dhanbad-Hatia-Bhubaneswar Garib Rath Express
Sambalpur-Varanasi Express
Hyderabad-Darbhanga Express
Santragachi-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express
Santragachi-Porbandar Kavi Guru Express
Ranchi-Pune Express
Shalimar-Udaipur Express

TATANAGAR

Howrah-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Jnaneswari Express
Howrah-Mumbai Express
Guwahati-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Karmabhoomi Express
Howrah-Shirdi Sai Nagar Express
Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Tatanagar
Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Odisha Sampark Kranti Express
Shalimar Gorakhpur Express
Santragachi-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express
Santragachi-Porbandar Kavi Guru Express
Shalimar-Udaipur Express
Howrah-Ranchi Express via Kharagpur
Howrah-Barbil Janshatabdi Express
Howrah-Purulia Express

IV. If connectivity of Rourkela to the National Capital is considered , then Rourkela is far behind its counterparts. Only one train i.e. Kalinga Utkal Express which runs between Puri and Haridwar is the sole connectivity to the national capital from the Steel City. However this train bears the brunt of any insurgent activity or any natural calamity in the region. More than a year has passed, this train has not touched Rourkela, after the disastrous Jnaneswari Express mishap on 28th May 2010.
Here is an interesting comparison of different steel cities of India and their connectivity with Delhi

City/Urban Complex No. of Trains No. of Exclusive Trains
Asansol-Durgapur 12 00
Bokaro Steel City 06 00
Durg-Bhilainagar 05 01
Rourkela 01 00
Tatanagar 06 01
Visakhapatnam 04 04

It should be noted that out of the 6 trains from Tatanagar to Delhi, 5 trains are from Odisha (including Rajdhani and Sampark Kranti)! Instead of catering to the needs of the people of the state, these trains are used to satisfy the neighboring Jharkhand State.


V. If we consider the case of local commuter trains, then perhaps Odisha is the only state which is devoid of such service. It should be noted that a number of local trains operate in the neighboring states of Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand, West Bengal,Andhra Pradesh, Bihar etc. but not in Odisha. (A compensatory service operates between Balasore and Kharagpur only).

South Eastern Railway,gets its maximum revenue from Odisha, utilizes. this huge revenue for the betterment of the neighboring states.. Maximum number of EMU/MEMU /DEMU local trains operate in Kharagpur Division only.

While Chakradharpur Division operates 3 pair MEMU Local trains between Kharagpur and Tata; 1 pair of trains between Muri and Tata and another pair between Asansol and Tata , no such service operates in Odisha, from where this division gets its lion’s share revenue.



Following is the list of some local trains operating in South Eastern Railways

MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) Passenger trains

 Howrah-Kharagpur : 116 kms. (2 pairs)

 Tata-Kharagpur :134 kms.(3 pairs)

 Midnapore-Howrah : 129 kms.

 Midnapore-Jhargram : 52 kms.

 Muri-Tata :104 kms.

 Muri-Ranchi : 65 kms

 Tata-Asansol : 119 kms.

 Adra-Purulia :41 kms.

 Adra-Asansol :50 kms.

 Adra-Bankura : 53 kms.

 Adra-Midnapore : 155 kms

 Balasore-Kharagpur : 116 kms

 Ranchi-Asansol : 227 kms..

 Jhargram-Purulia : 246 kms.

 Midnapore-Jhargarm : 52 kms.



DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Units) Passenger trains

 Digha-Santragachi

 Baripada-Rupsa-Balasore :70 kms. (2 pairs)

 Rupsa-Baripada

 Rupsa-Balasore

 Kharagpur-Jhargram ;39 kms

 Jhargram-Ghatsila : 59 kms.

It should be noted that Kharagpur-Midnapore MEMU Special train operates for a distance of only 13 kms. ! Also Rourkela-Sambalpur DMU has been officially downgraded to a pair of passenger trains i.e. Rourkela-Jharsuguda and Jharsuguda-Sambalpur. No such commuter train plies in Odisha part of East coast Railway , while many do ply in Andhra part of East Coast Railway.


VI. Construction and survey of new railway lines has not been taken up seriously in the region. The burning example is Talcher-Bimalagarh railway route which could have been a boon to the tribal districts of Sundargarh and Keonjhar is being overlooked since 1885 after the positive cost and benefit analysis.
This route could have proved a boon for the people North - east districts of Odisha as it could have accelerated the development of the region as well as improved connectivity to Coastal Odisha especially between Rourkela City and the capital city of Bhubaneswar. This route would also provide an easy access to Paradeep port from the Chotanagpur Industrial Belt . The cost of this Project was estimated to be Rs.810.78 crores. However with every passing year, this estimate is increasing it is now more than Rs.1000 crores. Now. the funding is much less for this project(about 25 crores.) and the current rate it will take more 20 years to be completed.
Similarly the survey for a new railway line between Bansapani and Barsuan via Bimalagarh and doubling of the track between Dumetra and Champajharan is to be carried on.

VII.No significant steps have been taken by South Eastern Railway, to improve the basic infrastructure in the region. Not even the staff quarters in the railway colonies are in good condition having frequent water and electricity problems. Even no significant education facilities have been provided by South Eastern Railways. Here is a list of such institutions.


Major Hospitals

Garden Reach Medical College and Hospital

Kharagpur Medical College and Hospital

Adra

Chakradharpur

Schools /Colleges/Educational Institutions

SER Mixed Higher Secondary School
S.E. Railway Boys’ Multipurpose High Secondary School
S.E. Railway Mixed High School (New Settlement)
Staff Training

Zonal Training Centre,Sini
Supervisory Training Centre, Kharagpur
S&T Training Centre, Kharagpur
Electrical Training Centre,Tatanagar
Electrical Training Centre, Rourkela
RPF Training Centre,Kharagpur
Major diesel Sheds

Visakhapatnam, Kharagpur and Bondamunda

Major Workshops

Kharagpur









In addition this, several new projects including educational institutions and training centers have been proposed in the last budget for Kharagpur only.
There was a proposal to set up a new 100 electric locomotive capacity shed at Bondamunda, but unfortunately that has been shifted to Kharagpur. Similarly the demand for a Railway Coach factory/ Wagon factory has not yielded any results.
So anyhow , South Eastern Railway has laid its lines in Odisha, not for the development of railway infrastructure of the state, but with the sole motive of exploiting it. As per the figures it can be concluded that the huge revenue generated by Odisha i.e. from the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Kendujhargarh is being utilized for the development of Kharagpur,Ranchi and Tatanagar.
Hence without any further delay these districts of Odisha should be freed from the clutches of South Eastern Railway, and should be included in East Coast Railway with a divisional headquarter at Rourkela.

Cuttack to be slum free under Rajiv Awaas Yojana ,Rourkela to follow

Daily Pioneer reports

REPL, one of the leading real estate consultancies, has been assigned to undertake a slum free planning city project in Cuttack by Cuttack Municipal Corporation under the ambit of a Central Government scheme Rajiv Awaas Yojana (RAY).

REPL has already worked on identification and redevelopment of slums for Bikaner in Rajasthan earlier.

The RAY aims at providing Central support to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers. A budget of `1,270 crore has been allocated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the scheme for the year 2010-11. 30 cities across 16 States have been selected for initiating 'National Slum Free City' campaign.

REPL will be setting up a City Technical Cell at Cuttack with a team of six experts- MIS (Management Information Systems) specialist, GIS (Geographical Information System) specialist, town planning specialist, social development specialist, capacity building/training specialist and project/engineering specialist. The City Technical Cell is envisaged to play a critical role in implementation of the RAY.

Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) is the State Level Nodal Agency ( SLNA) for implementation of the RAY in the selected cites of Odisha. It has proposed to set up separate City Technical Cell (CLTC) for the cities at Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and Rourkela.

In this project, REPL will lay its expertise in providing the entire scope of services mentioned under the guidelines of the RAY. This would include preparation of city wide base map using satellite data.

This will aid in accurate identification, demarcation and categorisation of slum area and slum infrastructure along with any vacant lands available for future housing and relocation of the urban poor. This exercise will include the city fringes where the problem of sprawl is more pronounced.

REPL will also provide support to conduct household socio-economic and bio-metric surveys for identification of beneficiaries.

Rourkela bound bus meets with an accident, 3 dead

Indian Express reports

DHENKANAL: Three persons died and 30 sustained injures, 10 seriously, after a bus collided with a truck near Mahisapat on NH-55 on Tuesday night. Two died on the spot and another succumbed in the district headquarters hospital. The deceased have been identified as Suvendu Samal of Kendrapara district, Chandrakant Mohapatra of Ratnapur in Jajpur district and 11-year-old Amisha Khandei of Jajpur district.

The injured were admitted to district headquarters hospital while four of them were shifted to SCB Medical, Cuttack. Fire Brigade and Red Cross volunteers rescued the passengers.

The bus was heading towards Rourkela while the truck was going towards Cuttack. Urban Development Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak visited the hospital.

Block BJD Chief Dies:

President of the BJD’s organisational block in Rourkela, Babu Samal (41), died in a bus accident on Tuesday night.

A Rourkela-bound bus carrying him met with an accident near Dhenkanal. Samal’s body was brought to the BJD office at Rourkela where tributes were paid to him before being taken for funeral.

Urban Development Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak and other party leaders condoled Samal’s sudden demise.

Pune train set for Nov. 16 debut, Rourkela to get direct link to Jammu Tawi

A report from Telegraph

The prolonged wait for Hatia-Pune Express will end on November 16, with Union tourism minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay flagging off the train for its maiden journey from Hatia junction. Two more trains will get extended destinations on November 12.

“The Union minister has already given his consent to be the chief guest at the flag-off ceremony at Hatia railway station on November 16,” said senior divisional commercial manager of Ranchi railway division K.S. Mukherjee.

The train to Pune, which will run twice a week, will depart from Hatia at 8pm on Mondays and Fridays and reach its destination at 2.30pm on the following day. From Pune, it will proceed for its return journey at 10.45am on Wednesdays and Sundays and reach here at 5.10am the next day.

This apart, the Jammu Tawi-Hatia Express will be extended till Rourkela from November 12. Hitherto, Rourkela could enjoy the services of only Hatia-Puri Tapaswini Express, Hatia-Bhubaneswar Garib Rath Express and Hatia-Jharsuguda Passenger.

Ranchi-Lohardaga train will also start plying till Barkichampi on the newly laid 15km track from November 12. A function has been organised at Lohardaga station where local MLA Kamal Kishore Bhagat and MP Sudarshan Bhagat will jointly flag off the train.

At present, eight passenger trains run between Ranchi and Lohardaga daily, connecting numerous villages of the two districts with the state capital. Before the passenger trains to Lohardaga were introduced, villagers ferrying agricultural produce to Ranchi had to depend on buses, the fare of which was a steep Rs 40.

Now, they can reach Ranchi in one and a half hours at just Rs 12.

Sub-collector caught while taking bribe

A report in New Indian Express

ROURKELA: Panposh Sub-collector Roopak Kumar Patnaik was on Wednesday caught red-handed by the anti-corruption sleuths while accepting a bribe of `10,000.

Reports said Manas Chandra Baral had applied for lease to lift sand from the Padampur Ghat under Kuanrmunda tehsil. However, his file got stuck at the sub-collectorate.

Sambalpur-based Vigilance SP Manoranjan Panda said Baral sought the help of the Vigilance department after he was asked to pay `10,000 to get the lease to lift sand from the Ghat.

Accordingly, a trap was laid and the Sub-collector was nabbed from his official residence at Uditnagar while receiving the cash from Baral.

The Sub-collector would be forwarded to the Vigilance court in Sambalpur on Thursday. A case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered. In the event of his bail plea getting rejected, the Sub-collector is likely to be sent to judicial custody for 10 days and could also face suspension.

Government for better upkeep of highways

Indian Express reports

BHUBANESWAR: With the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) neglecting its roads within the State, the Government on Tuesday urged the Centre for up-gradation, maintenance and modernisation of the

highways.

The issue was raised at a meeting attended by Union Secretary for Road Transport and Highways AK Upadhyaya here.

The State Government urged the Union Secretary for maintenance of roads entrusted to NHAI, construction of additional roadways along NH-60, renovation of the bridge over the Jira river on NH-6 near Bargarh and construction of by-pass roads in congested location.

Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik requested Upadhyaya for expeditious completion of the highway projects taken up by NHAI and declaration of new projects for the State.

He further suggested that maintenance of more highways be handed over to the public works department (PWD) and more funds allocated to the State under the Central Road Fund (CRF) for 2011-12.

National Highways pass through 27 districts of the State touching 23 district headquarters with a total length of 3,704 km. Out of this 2,633.40 km are with State PWD and 1,070.60 km with NHAI.

The Ministry has sanctioned eight consultancy projects worth ` 15.26 crore for preparation of detailed project report (DPR) for up-gradation of 530.79 km of NH. Another seven projects for double-laning of 221.97 km at an estimated cost of ` 581.69 crore have also been sanctioned.

The review showed that the Centre had released of ` 507.98 crore under CRF against 151 roads and 21 bridges. Out of this, 132 roads and 21 bridges have been completed with utilisation of ` 478.20 crore and work on 19 road projects is in progress.

The State has also sought ` 50 crore for repair and restoration of the

highways damaged in the recent floods.

Development Commissioner RN Senapati requested for rationalisation of distance between toll plazas, collection of user fees and shifting of toll gates within 10 km distance of municipal area on NH-5 and NH-5A.

The need for development of public amenities like rest sheds, toilets, restaurants at regular interval of 50 km and setting up of modern trauma care centres at strategic locations on the highway were also highlighted in the meeting.

The NH Officers were advised to make district-wise segregation of land acquisition requirement so that each segment can be separately taken up with the respective district administrations.

Steel city no longer enjoys heyday in State’s higher education

Daily Pioneer reports

Rourkela is generally known as the industrial centre of Odisha. But towards the close of the last century and also in the beginning of the current century, the steel city had earned the reputation of being a premier education centre not only in the State but also outside.

In those days, students particularly from western Odisha and nearby areas of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh used to flock Rourkela in good numbers not only to pursue higher education but also to be enrolled in coaching institutes for various entrances exams.

There was a time when Rourkela was house to as many as seven management institutes offering MBA and PGDM programmes in addition to one pharmacy institute offering BPharma and MPharma, three engineering colleges, including the prestigious NIT, one training college, one law college, one homoeopathic college and several diploma engineering institutes.

The scenario in Rourkela pertaining to higher education has however been changing for the worse of late. Out of the seven management institutes functioning at one time, only two are functioning at present although introduction of MBA/PGDM in NIT has been an addition since last year.

Most of the institutes came up in the private sector mostly in the eighties and nineties in the last century. It is interesting to observe in this context that the decline started mostly due to management problems. Asian Workers Development Institute initiated by late Socialist leader and Parliamentarian Surendra Nath Dwivedi which had occupied a very high position among the then management institutes by offering courses such as Post Graduate Diploma in Labour Law and Personnel Management and Industrial Relations and Personnel Management could not attract students after Dwivedi’s death and the courses were closed. Although the institute is running at present by introducing other courses, it has already lost its pre-eminent position as a management institute.

Similar fate happened to Rourkela Institute of Management Studies (RIMS) and Indian Institute of Production Management this year. RIMS catapulted itself to the position of a top management institute not only in the State but also in Eastern India. But it could not recover from the loss due to the sudden demise of its founder Surya Patanaik. The present position of the institute can be assessed from the fact that this year nearly 40 students have taken admission in the MBA as against sanctioned capacity of 180. When the institute was in its prime position, all the seats would be filled up in matter of days.

The same fate has befallen the Indian Institute of Production Management which galloped into the top position among management institutes of the State from the inception itself during the early years of current century. The rise of IIPM was so phenomenal that during initial years its students used to occupy more than half of the top positions in rankings in the MBA stream. However, the IIPM which rode on the strength of academic excellence and all round abilities of Professor GC Mohapatra, who headed the department of MBA, quickly lost its steam with his exit in 2010.

The downfall of the IIPM was so sharp that whereas previously all its 60 seats would be filled up on the starting day of the admission process, even fifty per cent seats have not been filled this year. Institute of Chartered Financial Analyst of India (ICFAI) which runs a number of management institutes all over the country was also running a regular national college offering PGDM course and another under the distance education scheme a few years back with good number of students. It has also closed down as of now. Purusottam Institute of Engineering and Technology (PIET), a twelve years’ old educational institution offering BTech courses and Rourkela Institute of Technology (RIT) offering diploma engineering course had introduced MBA as an additional course in the year 2008 and all the seats were filled up in the same year.

The subsequent downturn has been so severe that they have stopped admitting students in to the MBA course from this year. The same fate has fallen to the Dr Ambedkar Memorial Institute of Technology and Science which was running MBA and MCA course in addition to BBA and BCA course a couple years back. The only addition has been the introduction of MBA course in the prestigious National Institute of Technology since last year but there also more than fifty per cent of seats have fallen vacant this year.

The Rourkela Law College is also heading towards a disaster due to lack of students. Kanak Manjari Institute of Pharmaceutical Studies which once enjoyed position as a top pharmacy institute throughout eastern India has also been on the downhill since last several years.

While many of these institutes have lost their name and fame due to management problems, many others have suffered decline for neglecting academic standards leading to decline in academic performance. Another reason is that students have become choosy and are not interested in wasting their time and money in institutes lacking in infrastructure facility and lack of suitable, qualified and experienced teaching staff.

One noted academician of the city Narayan Prasad Dash says besides poor academic standards and management problems in various institutions, the lack of air connectivity is a reason for decline of higher education in the city. Without air connection to the city, neither the renowned academicians nor the leading corporate houses are evincing any interest to come here for teaching and campus recruitment.

That is why the students and parents are keeping away themselves from city based institutions. Even the NIT is also suffering. So there should be a political will to have air connectivity to the city soon, says Priyanka Das, a student who is pursuing her management studies in Bhubaneswar.

Besides, the proliferation in the number of educational institutions has led to consolidation in the respective sphere in which lesser players are being squeezed out in favour of stronger players. All this has created a situation in which students and guardians have become losers in the long run. As a consequence, students are being almost forced in the absence of any alternative to get admitted to institutes outside Rourkela with the consequent financial burden on the guardians. Many deserving students are also opting out of higher education as their parents are not in a position to afford the cost outside Rourkela.

All these prove that the heyday enjoyed by Rourkela as an educational hub especially in the field of higher education is over at least for now.

Government to organise youth camps

Indian Express reports

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Thursday decided to organise youth camps in some select venues to give a boost to sports and youth welfare activities.

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary BK Patnaik on Thursday decided to organise 45 youth camps in venues selected in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Rourkela by the Sports and Youth Services Department. About 10,000 youths from all the blocks are expected to join the camps. Each block will be given an opportunity to sponsor 64 participants in different sports and cultural activities. The Chief Secretary directed the Sports and Youth Services Department to draw up detailed plan, schedule and modalities of the camps by end-November so that the youth camps could be organised in December. He emphasised on selection of youths with positive thinking and commitment for nation building. Bharat Scouts and Guides, National Cadet Corps (NCC) and national youth kendras (NYKs) will be involved in these camps. It has also been decided that youth clubs will be actively involved in promotion of sports and youth welfare activities. For this purpose, about 10,371 clubs operating at panchayat level will be given a grant-in-aid of ` 5,000 each. The Chief Secretary also advised the department to scale up adventure sports activities in association with Coast Guard and NCC units. The department has been asked to prepare a detailed plan for augmentation of sports equipment and infrastructure facilities in sports hostels.

Patnaik also advised the department to plan a special academic curriculum for inmates of sports hostels and provide better quality coaching, gyms and other amenities in the institutions. Development Commissioner R N Senapati, Principal Secretary, Finance, Jugal Kishore Patnaik, Director, Sports & Youth Services, Saswat Mishra participated in the discussions.

Govt approves Road Projects in AP and Odisha

A report from Zee News

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday approved two projects of widening of National Highways in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa entailing a total investment of about Rs 1,835 crore under its flagship road building programme NHDP.

The Cabinet Committee of Infrastructure (CCI) on tuesday approved projects for four laning of Vijayawada-Machlipatnam section of NH 9 in Andhra Pradesh and four/two laning of Birmitrapur-Barkote section on NH 23 in Orissa under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) phase IV-A, an official release said.

"The total estimated cost of the project (Andhra Pradesh) is Rs 736 crore. The total estimated cost of the project (Orissa) is Rs 1,098.90 crore," the release said.

Govt approves Rs 1,835 cr road projs in AP
On land acquisition, resettlement, rehabilitation and pre-construction, Rs 130 crore and Rs 320.75 crore will be spent on Andhra Pradesh and Orissa projects, respectively.

Both the projects will be built on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis in BOT (Toll) mode of delivery.

"The total length of the project is 64.611 km. The concession period is 20 years, including construction period of 24 months," the statement said about the Andhra Pradesh project, located in Krishna district.

"The project will reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic, particularly heavy traffic, plying between Vijayawada and Machilipatnam. It will also increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the project activities," it added.

Govt approves Rs 1,835 cr road projs in AP
On the Orissa project, which is based in Sundargah and Deogarh districts, it said the concession period is 23 years including construction period of 30 months for 125.61 km scheme.

"The project will reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic, particularly heavy traffic, plying between Birmitrapur-Barkote. It will also increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the project activities," it said.

Former FIH official appointed technical manager of WSH: Hopes for Rourkela rejuvenated

A report from TOI

MUMBAI: Former chairman of FIH Umpiring Committee, Dutchman Peter von Reth has been appointed as sports technical manager of the World Series Hockey league, which gets underway on December 17.

A highly respected official, Peter has been an international umpire for almost 20 years and officiated in 192 international matches, including three Olympics Games (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000) and two World Cups (Lahore 1990, Utrecht 1998).

He has also been an International Hockey Federation Umpire Manager and was in charge at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as well as the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

Peter has served as the chairman of the FIH Umpiring Committee from January 2002 to February 2009 besides doing duty as an integral member of the FIH Rules Committee.

In his new role, Peter will be responsible to appoint the technical panel required for the League, advice and assist in the conduct of all match officials in accordance with the rules and regulations of WSH along with the technical director of WSH; advice, assist and plan the video umpire requirements at each venue in addition to several other functions.

"It gives me immense pleasure to be associated with this league where a galaxy of stars will be exhibiting their skills and vying for the ultimate honour," said Peter.

"The league has much to offer to both players and fans and I am certain it's going to be a humongous success," he added.

The WSH, scheduled to conclude on January 22 next year, will feature 61 matches in which 176 players -- Indian and international -- will be seen in action.

The inaugural edition of the multi-city franchise based league will comprise eight teams -- Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

RAILWAY DEMANDS FOR ROURKELA CITY

Here is a compilation of all the important and logical demands related to Railways which will be beneficiary for the citizens of Rourkela City

ADMINISTRATION

 Creation of a new Rourkela Division comprising of the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Kendujhargarh, administered by East Coast Railways


NEW TRAINS

 Rourkela- Amritsar Brahmani Mail (Biweekly) via Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, Katni, Gwalior, Agra, H.Nizamuddin OR Rourkela-New Delhi Brahmani Yamuna Superfast Express (Biweekly) via Ranchi,Muri,Gomoh,Kanpur

 Rourkela-Bangalore City (Weekly) Superfast Express via Jharsuguda, Bilaspur,Raipur, Gondia, Nagbhir, Ballharshah, Kazipet, Kacheguda(Hyderabad), Kurnool Town, Anantapur, Dharamavaram

 Rourkela-Brahmapur Express via Sambalpur,Bhubaneswar(4 days) via Chakradharpur,Kendujhargarh, Jakhapura, Bhubaneswar(3 days)

 Biramitrapur-Paradweep Intercity Express via Rourkela,Rajkharsuan, Kendujhargarh,Jakhapura

 Visakhapatnam- New Delhi Express (Biweekly) via Koraput, Rayagada,Titlagarh, Sambalpur,Rourkela,Ranchi, Muri,Kanpur

 MEMU Local Train service between Rourkela/Tatanagar and Jharsuguda


EXTENSIONS

 12877/12878 New Delhi-Ranchi Garib Rath Express to Rourkela

 18623/18624 Rajendranagar-Hatia Express to Rourkela

 18103/18104 Tatanagar-Amritsar Jallianwala Bagh Express to Sambalpur and rerouting it via Jharsuguda, Rourkela,Ranchi,Muri, Bokaro Steel City on alternate days

DIVERSIONS

 12875/12876 Puri-New Delhi Neelachal Express via Angul, Sambalpur City, Rourkela, Tatanagar,Muri (3 days a week)

 18477/18478 Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express on Kendujhargarh,Bansapani,Padapahar,Chakradharpur,Rourkela route

 12819/12820 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Odisha Sampark Kranti Express via Angul,Sambalpur,Rourkela,Ranchi,Muri (3 days a week)
 12443/12444 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express , 2 days a week on Angul,Sambalpur,Jharsuguda,Rourkela,Tatanagar route

 15929/15930 Guwahati-Chennai Express via Tatanagar, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Rayagada,Visakhapatnam

 12409/12410 Raigarh-New Delhi Gondwana Express via Rourkela, Ranchi/Tata, Kanpur (3 days a week)

 18047/18048 Howrah-Vasco-da-Gama Amaravati Express; 2 days a week via Tatanagar, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur,Raipur,Nagpur,Nasik Road, Panvel, Roha, Chiplun,Ratnagiri

 16323/16324 Shalimar-Thiruvannanthapuram Express OR 12659/12660 Shalimar-Nagarcoil Express on Tatanagar-Rourkela-Sambalpur-Rayagada-Visakhapatnam route once a week.




INCREASE IN FREQUENCY

 12835/12836 Hatia-Yesvantpur Express to 4 days a week

 12889/12890 Tata-Yesvantpur Express to 3 days a week

 18311/18312 Sambalpur-Varanasi Express to 6 days a week



NEW ROUTES

 Allocation of Rs 200 crores to Talcher-Bimalagarh project for its fast completion

 Work initiation on Bansapani-Bimalagarh route

 Survey for Kiriburu-Gua and Kiriburu Bolanikhadan railway routes

 Survey for Biramitrapur-Lohardaga-Garwa Road

 Survey for Jharsuguda-Ambikapur via Sundargarh Town,Talsara



INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

 Construction of a Passenger Coach Terminal(Coaching Complex) and A.C. Charging Station at Rourkela Junction

 Removal of encroachment and construction of Platform-6, Multi-functional Complex and Northern Entrance Gate in the circulating area of the station

 World Class Station status to Rourkela Junction with renaming it as Rourkela City

 Construction of a Railway Coach Factory at Bondamunda

 Establishment of a Railway Medical College or Super Speciality Hospital at Bondamunda. The existing Railway Hospital at Bondamunda can be upgraded to meet the above purpose.

 Immediate allocation of model station and A-Class station facilities to Rourkela Junction

 Extension of Parking facilities at Rourkela Junction

 Construction of Foot Overbridge connecting Rourkela Station with Railway Colony and Madhusudan Marg on either sides

 Fast Completion of Basanti Nagar Railway Overbridge

 Construction of similar Railway overbridges at Kukuda Gate, STI , ITI , Kalunga and Kansbahal

Rourkela-Kolkata air service from Sept 1

Times of India reports
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-27/bhubaneswar/29935165_1_rourkela-steel-plant-air-service-kolkata

ROURKELA: The Steel City of Rourkela is likely to get its first air connection shortly with a Kolkata-based private air service operator all set to start Rourkela - Kolkata air service from September 1 this year.

The necessary clearances from the Airport Authority of India Ltd and Rourkela Steel Plant have been obtained for launching the flight service, sources said.

DTDS, a Kolkata-based travel and tour operator, has got the clearance from Rourkela Steel Plant for using its airport to operate one private air taxi, which would be a three to nine seater flight. DTDS has been providing similar kind of air services from Bokaro to Kolkata. "Our technical team has already inspected the Rourkela airport and given clearance for operation of our flight and therefore we are absolutely ready to start the service," said Ronee Ghosh, area manager of DTDS India.

HC intervention ray of hope for ESIC Medical College at Rourkela

Daily Pioneer reports

http://dailypioneer.com/357230/HC-intervention-ray-of-hope-for-ESIC-Medical-College-at-Rourkela.html

The long-standing demand for an ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Rourkela has now found a ray of hope after the Odisha High Court’s intervention on a PIL filed by a group of eminent personalities including an NRI.

Hearing the petition on July 28, Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice BN Mohapatra were not only shocked over State Government’s decision ignoring the basic criteria, ie, number of IPs, directed the State Labour Secretary to submit the status report within two weeks. The court also ordered service of notice by speed post to the Union Labour Secretary and DG, ESIC to submit the status report in two weeks’ time and stop work at the Bhubaneswar site till further orders.

In a media briefing at the Rourkela Press Club on Saturday, Convenor of the Action Committee for ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Rourkela Muralidhar Parija said after knowing about the decision of ESIC to set up a Medical College and Hospital in Odisha at a cost of `1,600 crore in September 2009, it was assumed that Rourkela would be the suitable place for the project from IPs’ (Insured Persons’) point of view as also from geographical point of view. But that was not to happen, he deplored.”The babus and the Ministers at the steering wheel of State affairs in Bhubaneswar took a decision to the contrary to set it up at Bhubaneswar though the State capital is over-saturated with a number of medical colleges and big nursing homes while other mega healthcare projects are in the pipeline from the Railway and the AIIMS,” he said.

Parija said, “Reacting to the sadistic and short-sighted decision, the elite masses including NRIs urged for shifting the venue to Rourkela. Several representations to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the Labour Minister it had no impact although out of 2.5 lakh IPs in the State more than 1.3 lakh are in Sundargarh district and its adjacent areas. Even due to various ongoing projects, every month 7-10 thousand new IPs are adding to the number here.” Therefore, he said, finding no other way, the action committee had to knock at the High Court’s door with a PIL on July 25 making the Labour Secretary, Government of India, Director General, ESIC, New Delhi, Labour Secretary, Government of Odisha and the Regional Director, ESIC, Bhubaneswar opposite parties.

Among others Rourkela Chamber President Shyamlal Singhal, CITU leader Biman Maity, Rourkela Bar Association President Ramesh Bal, Joint Secretary Raj Kishore Pradhan, former MLA Prabhat Mohapatra, Rourkela Development Committee Convener Subrat Patnaik, social activists PC Nayak, Surendra Dash and Jahangir Alli were present, expressing their solidarity with the cause. Advocate Aseem Amitav Dash is pleading the case for the petitioners.

Sundargarh loses out on ESIC medical

Expressbuzz.com reports

http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/sundargarh-loses-out-on-esic-medical/298660.html

ROURKELA: With the State Government deciding to go ahead with the ESIC medical college and hospital at Bhubaneswar, the Opposition parties are gearing up to renew their agitations.

This has put an end to the hopes of the residents of Sundargarh district who had been fighting for the facility. Since Sundargarh district is central in the dense industrial area, the facility would have o benefited Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Keonjhar as well, which have the highest number of insured persons.

Social activist Bideshini Patel flayed the BJD Government for neglecting western districts in matters of advanced healthcare.

Orissa CPM secretariat member and State CITU general secretary Bishnu Mohanty claimed that they have not abandoned the demand and an action committee, involving various trade unions and apolitical organisations, has been formed to pursue the demand.

Criticising the State Government, Mohanty said the private Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital at Rourkela could in no way compensate the advanced healthcare needs of the working class and poor population. He asserted that they would fight for the cause tooth and nail. Newly-appointed Rourkela unit Congress president Nihar Ray also blamed the local minister and described the State Government’s decision as politically motivated.

CREDITS OF ROURKELA CITY

Here is list of a few credits of "Mini India"

# 1st Public Sector Steel Plant of the country- Rourkela Steel Plant, Plan-1954, Operation of 1st Blast Furnace-1957, Established as an Unit-1959

# 2nd largest Railway Marshalling Yard of Asia-Bondamunda,Rourkela

# 2nd largest Railway Locomotive Shed of India(according to locomotive strength)-
Bondamunda: Diesel Locomotive Shed(1962)& Electric Locomtive Shed(1983)

# 1st and only Silicon Steel Producing Unit of India.One of 4 such units in the world-
Silicon Steel Mill(SSM),Rourkela Steel Plant(1982)

# 1st CCTV Network in the entire Asia Continent- Rourkela Steel Plant(1982)

# One of the oldest and reputed Technical Institutes of the country- National Institute of Technology(NIT),Rourkela;formerly Regional Engineering College(1962); Ranked as 2nd best NIT in India

# 1st Technical University of India- Biju Patnaik University of Technology(BPUT),Rourkela(2002)

# 1st and only township to be wholly managed by an Industrial Unit- Rourkela Industrial Township/Rourkela Steel Township,managed by Rourkela Steel Plant
Rourkela Industrial Township is ISO-14001 & 9001 certified

# One of the tallest stautes of Asia- Lord Hanuman Statue at Hanuman Vatika - 74 ft 9 inches;Formerly the tallest stautes in Asia

# Largest colony of Asia- Chhend Colony,Rourkela

# One of best schools of India,with respect to academic performance and achievements in national and international level- Ispat English Medium School,Rourkela

# 14th cleanest city of India out of a total 423 cities taken for a survey- Rourkela Industrial Township/Rourkela Steel Township

# Birthplace of Saint Vedvyas, the compiler of Mahabharata- Vedvyas,Rourkela at the confluence of Koel,Sankha and Saraswati rivers which go on to become river Brahmani

Few takers for BJD claims on Rourkela’s development

Daily Pioneer reports

http://www.dailypioneer.com/338447/Few-takers-for-BJD-claims-on-Rourkela%E2%80%99s-development.html

The repeated claims of the BJD leaders and Rourkela MLA and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Sarada Prasad Nayak that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has special attention for Rourkela have few takers here.

It is no doubt that during the last two tenures of Naveen Patnaik’s regime, the city has lost its quota of PDS which is just the beginning of neglect to the city. But one thing the denizens of Rourkela would never forget is during Naveen’s first tenure (2000-04), when Ajit Das was the MLA of Rourkela, the city was conferred with many mega projects like BPUT (foundation stone laid in 2003), medical college (foundation stone laid in February 2004) and four-lane road from Panposh Chowk to Udit Nagar.

However, it is a different story that the construction work of the medical college and BPUT are still going on in very lethargic manner and just for name’s sake, the BPUT headquarters has been established at Rourkela, but all the important decisions and executions are being taken up by its top brass at Bhubaneswar. The four-lane road construction work is still going on and nobody knows when it would end.

As Rourkela is an industrial hub and a sensitive city, earlier the State Government used to post an IAS officer as the ADM of Rourkela.

But it may be some political compulsion or anything else, OAS officers were posted for some years. No doubt, the State has less than the required number of IAS officers and it is acceptable to have an OAS officer as ADM occasionally. Given the fact that the office of the ADM is already overburdened with its day-to-day works, the Government has imposed the ADM to take up the additional charge of Secretary, Rourkela Development Authority (RDA). The decision will not only subject the officer with more responsibility but also the public will be deprived of getting appropriate and timely service from both the offices.

However, the Government has decided to put an IAS officer as ADM on October 20, 2010. With the posting of an IAS officer as ADM, the people here have regained some confidence and hope that the development of city will be on the line.

But when the ADM was starting the developmental works, he was sent as District Collector of Koraput on promotion on May 5, 2011. The pity is that the substitute of the ADM is not yet posted. Rather, the Sub Collector, Rourkela has been given the additional charge of the ADM and Secretary, RDA.

The step-motherly attitude for Rourkela does not end with this. Rourkela Police District is very sensitive for a host of reasons.

Koira, Gurundia, Bonai, Lathikata, Bisra and Lahunipara blocks of the district are worst affected by the Maoist menace. However, the police district is running without a regular SP since April7, 2011. It is to be mentioned here that the SP DK Pattanaik on leave since April 7 has not only been carrying very bad reputation since his posting here but also his activities have sullied the image of the Government.

A couple of months ago, fresh OAS officers were recruited in different blocks and tehsils on the basis of a jumbo transfer list. But despite repeated demands, an Additional EO post has been lying vacant in Rourkela Municipality since February 11, 2009. When the municipality requires at least three regular OAS officers for its smooth functioning, one OAS has been posted as EO only.

Similar neglect is reflected in primary education and health services here. For months together, a regular DI of Schools has not been appointed. Similarly many doctor posts are lying vacant in Rourkela Government Hospital for years together. In another development, the ESIC proposed to have a medical college in Odisha investing `500 crore. And locals here thought that the medical college should be set up here as it is one of the major industrial and mining hubs of the State. But ignoring the sentiments of the denizens of Rourkela, the State Government proposed to have it in Bhubaneswar even though a number of medical colleges exist there.

RSP’s cold response to OPL raises eyebrows

A report from Daily Pioneer

http://dailypioneer.com/337322/RSP%E2%80%99s-cold-response-to-OPL-raises-eyebrows.html

Even though the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has decided to introduce Odisha Premier League (OPL), a State version of the Indian Premier league (IPL), from this year, its chosen venue of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP)-owned stadium has been reportedly turned down by the RSP authorities here.

Such an act of the public sector unit has not only disheartened the spirit of the sportsmen and sports lovers here, but has also raised many an eyebrow over its allegedly pseudo-commitment towards sports.

While the RSP reportedly thanks OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera for his magnanimity for keeping Rourkela as a franchisee team, but has asked searching for other venue.

Despite concerted efforts, RSP AGM (Sports) D Mishra could not be contacted over his official mobile 8895501336 as all calls had no reply.

However, sources confided that the RSP turned down to spare the ground on the plea of summer camp while antecedent reveals that in the past, RSP has spared the ground for mega event like the women football tournament deferring its summer camp schedule.

It may further be mentioned here that as RSP could not send its team for the Sahani Cup Inter-District Football Tournament, Rourkela and its peripheral players were deprived of getting selected for the State Santosh Trophy team.

It is further learnt from reliable sources that the State Olympic Association is mulling to de-affiliate the RSP for its allegedly anti-sports mindset.

Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link: All decks cleared

Expressbuzz reports

http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/bimlagarh-talcher-rail-link-all-decks-cleared/266948.html

ROURKELA: Against the backdrop of knee-jerk reactions from various quarters, the Indian Railways seems to have woken up from its slumber.

Sources said decks have been cleared to lay the proposed Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link with Indian Railways depositing Rs 30 crore with the State Government for the first phase land acquisition work. Funds of Rs 810 crore would be required for laying the 156- km stretch of fresh track between Bimlagarh and Talcher.

Demand for this rail link has been in the public domain for the last four decades. The Union Railway Ministry was ignoring it before the final sanction was accorded in 2004-05.

Since then, every railway budget doled out a meagre ` 5 to ` 10 crore for the project even as six years elapsed without any visible outcome. After completion, the new rail link would be the shortest route between Rourkela and Bhubaneswar covering 300 km. The existing route via Sambalpur is around 460 km.

The South Eastern Railway (SER) has a single track between Rourkela and Bimlagarh in Sundargarh district and works are underway to double-track it. Sources said the East Coast Railway (ECoR) would lay around 140 km of track and the rest would be carried out by the SER. Till Talcher, the proposed track would cover the districts of Sundargarh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Angul.

At a high-level meeting on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the General Managers (GMs) of the SER and ECoR informed that ` 30 crore had been deposited with the State Government for acquisition of land in the first phase.

Accordingly, land would be acquired for 25- km stretch from Talcher.

In the past, the Indian Railways faced criticism from the Rourkela Development Steering Committee (RDSC), a consortium of Opposition political parties and a host of apolitical organisations, over major demands including the proposed new track.

Rourkela to get two more trains

Extract from New Indian Express

http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/rourkela-to-get-two-more-trains/266158.html

BHUBANESWAR: Two more trains will be extended to Rourkela. Proposals for extension of Jammu Tawi Express and Gorakhpur-Hatia Maurya Express to Rourkela have been accepted by the Railway Ministry. A high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here today, was informed of the new decision.

A proposal for re-routing the Puri-New Delhi Utkal Express through Rourkela is under consideration. Besides, a new proposal for re-routing of Samaleswari Express will be submitted soon before the Railway Ministry.

Railway officials present at the meeting informed that a plan to operate Inter City Express on Sunday was being examined by the Ministry, while the new train to Keonjhar will be extended to Banspani soon. Besides, work for modernisation of Rourkela Railway Station is currently underway. The meeting also discussed frequency of other Express trains in the State and the need to connect new places.

Neglect of Rourkela by the Railways

Neglect of Rourkela by the Railways has been unveiled in this report

The union rail budget 2011-2012 is about to come by February end week.
The present railway minister, Mamataa Bannerji has called off a meeting of all the supervisors and officer of the 11 out of 14 railway zones of Indian Railways namely the ER, ECoR, SER, WCR, NCR, CR, NR, NER, SR, WR and NWR.

A few of the members from RRB and other public private partners were also invited for the meeting.

The expected budget claims as the budget for ordinary people.

*There shall not be any reduction or expansion in the fare of ordinary and Air Conditioned class.

*The fare of all class in Shatabdi Express and Yuwa Express will be reduced by 10%.

*New coach factory to be set up at Kota Junction, Digha & Nagpur

* There were several demands of the people to start the train services including the Duronto and Shatabdis. A long chart have been prepared under approval of honourable Railway minister to claim in the upcoming rail budget of 2011-2012.

The following new 90 Train services are proposed for the rail budget, out of which only 75 services will be taken under consideration and will be announced for rail budget 2011-2012.

*New Delhi - Panipat AC Express (daily)
*Howrah - Madurai Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Una Express (5 days a week)
*Secunderabad - Indore Express (bi weekly via. Nagpur)
*Secunderabad - Tata Express (daily)
*Hajur Sahib Nanded - Indore Express (weekly via. Nagpur)
*Howrah - Jammu Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Dehradun Express (bi weekly via. Agra)
*Howrah - Kolhapur Express (weekly)
*Jodhpur - Coimbatore Express (weekly)
*Jodhpur - Howrah AC Express (daily via. Nagpur - Bhopal)
*Howrah - Jaisalmer Express (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Bhuj Express (4 days a week)
*Dhanbad - Pune Express (bi weekly via. Allahabad)
*Howrah - Pune Express (daily via. Bhopal - Katni)
*Howrah - Firozpur Express (bi weekly)
*Ranchi - Ernakulam Express (weekly)
*Howrah - Mysore Express (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Chennai AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Guwahati AC Duronto (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Lucknow AC Duronto (weekly)
*Lucknow - Pune AC Duronto (bi weekly)
*Jaipur - Lucknow AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Jaipur - Bhopal AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Chennai - Mumbai CST Duronto (weekly)
*Mumbai CST - Ranchi Duronto Express (weekly)
*New Delhi - Vasco Duronto (weekly)
*Howrah - Agra AC Express (daily)
*Ferozpur - Puri Express (tri weekly)
*Chandigarh - Jabalpur Express (bi weekly)
*Bikaner - Gaya Express (weekly)
*Nagpur - Jaipur Express (daily)
*Nagpur - Kolhapur AC Express (daily)
*Miraj - Salem Express (daily via. Hubli)
*Bangalore - Amritsar Express (tri weekly via. Bhopal)
*Trivandrum - Mangalore Express (daily)
*Ernakulam - Dehradun Express (tri weekly)
*Digha - Tirunelveli Express (weekly)
*Ajmer - Jammutawi Express (daily)
*Howrah - Bareily Express (daily)
*Ranchi - Pune Express (tri weekly)
*Tirunelveli - Pune Express (4 days a week)
*Guwahati - Machilipatnam Express (bi weekly)
*Jaynagar - Bareily Express (daily)
*Jammutawi - Vizag Express (tri weekly via. Warangal)
*Pune - Mysore AC Express (daily)
*Pune - Udaipur Express (tri weekly)
*Ajmer - Palampur Intercity Express (daily)
*Chandigarh - Jaynagar Express (bi weekly)
*Amritsar - Malayaduthirai Express (weekly)
*Indore - Durg Express (daily via. Raipur - Bilaspur - Katni - Bina)
*Indore - Bangalore Express (bi weekly)
*Mumbai - Surat Intercity Express (daily via. Manmad)
*Vasco - Gorakhpur Express (bi weekly)
*Guwahati - Shriganga Nagar Express (weekly)
*Guwahati - Madgaon Express (bi weekly)
*Guwahati - Amritsar Express (weekly)
*Howrah - Valsad Express (weekly via. Manmad)
*Mumbai CST - Tata Express (bi weekly via. Allahabad)
*Chandigarh - Mumbai CST Express (4 days a week via. Surat - Ajmer - Jaipur - Ambala)
*Jaipur - Bhuj Express (daily)
*Habibganj - Ranchi Express (weekly)
*Jabalpur - Dehradun Express (tri weekly)
*Bilaspur - Bhopal Express (daily via. Nagpur)
*Tirupati - Coimbatore Express (5 days a week)
*Puri - Guwahati Express (daily via. Howrah)
*Puri - Mumbai CST AC Express (bi weekly)
*Kanpur - Gaya Intercity Express (daily)
*Dehradun - Pune Express (bi weekly)
*Agra - Pune AC Express (4 days a week)
*Indore - Pune AC Express (bi weekly via. Bhopal)
*Patna - Howrah Shatabdi Express (5 days a week)
*Guwahati - Howrah Shatabdi Express (bi weekly)
*Indore - Bhopal Jan Shatabdi Express (daily)
*Indore - New Delhi Link Shatabdi Express (6 days a week via. Bhopal)
*Muzaffarpur - Jodhpur Express (weekly)
*Ernakulam - Guwahati Express (weekly)
*Chennai - Ahmedabad AC Express (tri weekly)
*Varanasi - Kolhapur Express (daily)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Howrah Express (daily)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Jaipur Express (tri weekly)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Trivandrum Express (weekly)
*Tirupati - Hubli Intercity Express (daily)
*Ajmer - Vishakhapatnam Express (weekly)
*Asansol - Trivandrum Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Kanpur Express (daily)
*Gwalior - Mumbai Express (weekly)
*Chhindwara - New Delhi Express (tri weekly)
*Chhindwara - Rewa Express (daily via. Jabalpur)

A list of passenger train services have been identified in between :
*Bhopal - Jabalpur via. Itarsi
*Varanasi - Agra
*Howrah - Barbil
*Patna - Ranchi
*Danapur - Gorakhpur
*Danapur - Bilaspur
*Mumbai - Pune
*Kolhapur - Pune
*Ahmedabad - Bhuj
*Tirunelvelli - Salem
*Hubli - Ernakulam
*Jammutawi - Una via. Amritsar
*Vadodara - Jaipur
*Indore - Bina
*Chengannur - Salem via. Chennai



So anyhow gross injustice for Odisha in general and Rourkela in particular, the region paying the highest revenue in the country. Why Railways is possessing a step-motherly attitude towards Rourkela is unkown. In the past, trains like Tapaswini, Samaleswari and Ispat have been extended; trains like Hirakhand,Hirakud have been diverted and trains like Rourkela-Jharsuguda, Rourkela-Biramitrapur, Rourkela-Howrah passengers have been cancelled. Now Utkal and Samaleswari are not plying! God only knows the future of these tarins

When Tapaswini was extended , the condition was to extend a Delhi bound train upto Rourkela, which is hanging till now. Recently many trains like Jammu Tawi Express, Jallianwalabagh, Gorakhpur Express, Garib Rath, Chhapra Express have been demanded to be extended up to Rourkela, however have been denied again.

No long distance train now terminates at Rourkela due to lack of a passenger coach terminal (coaching complex) which will have washing line, ac charging and maintenance facilities as well. This important infrastructure has been neglected again. The revenue generated from this region is spent on metro cities, North East, Jammu Kashmir and other states. If providing connectivity will help in curbing terrorism, separatist activities, insurgency in J&K and North-East why Odisha and Chotanagapur Plateau is being neglected as it is the haven of red rebels (naxalites) now?

Passenger fares will not be increased, but who will pay for the increased amenities, Durontos, AC trains, etc.? Certainly freight and again the centre will be the mineral rich region of Odisha.


Tata,Ranchi and Kharagpur are gaining a lot from the revenue generated from Rourkela. The railway authorities at Tata have planned everything in such a manner that Rourkela will not get a single train in future. If any thing happens to Howrah-Mumbai mainline, then Tata or Ranchi and even Kharagpur are not going to lose anything but Rourkela will suffer the most. It should be noted that in the last budget Barwadih-Chirmiri line was sanctioned, which will be ready by 2014. With the commissioning of this line the distance between Howrah and Mumbai will be reduced by 400 kms hence the present Howrah-Mumbai mainline is endangered. In future only freight trains will ply on this line, if the situation remains the same. There is hardly any Odia in South Eastern Railway now and maximum are from Bihar and the rest from Bengal

The repeated biasing attitude of South Eastern Railways has created the much awaited demand of a new Rourkela Division administered by East Coast Railways.

Not only political parties but the common people the general public should rise in protest, railrokos should be organized, MPs,State,Centre,Railways should be pressurized. Everything should be done for the right of Rourkela.

Railway Minister Ms. Banerjee should be made understood that Railways belongs the whole country not only Bengal, and the document she is reading out in the House is Railway Budget, not a Bengali poem, not any “Rabindra Gaan”. Parliament House is not the place to showcase your co-curricular activities, your talent.

If MP Hemananda Biswal is unable to do anything then he should resign immedietly without any further wastage of public money.

Night trains to remain suspended

Expressbuzz reports

http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/night-trains-to-remain-suspended/248589.html

ROURKELA: It could be some more time before the night train services resume on the busy Howrah-Mumbai route. If sources in the South Eastern Railways (SER) are to be believed they have no specific clue as yet as to when night train services would begin on the Rourkela-Kharagpur and Kharagpur-Adra sections.

Owing to suspension of train services between 10 pm and 5 am at least a dozen important trains are getting rescheduled, while half-a-dozen others are either plying through alternative routes or facing regulation.

The SER’s decision bodes ill for Rourkela junction with the station losing two most sought-after trains. Utkal Express, the only direct train to Delhi, has been withdrawn and is plying from Jharsuguda.

Similarly, the Samaleswari Express now goes via Sambalpur-Angul-Cuttack-Howrah. SER General Manager Vinay Mittal, who was on a day’s visit to here yesterday, said the SER can do little without security clearance from the Union Home Ministry. At a meeting with local delegates over the issue, Mittal blamed the Orissa and the Jharkhand governments claiming that they were not doing enough to bring back the confidence among the staff.

Here’s some solace for the beleaguered passengers though. If the SER chief is to be believed then by March the Ranchi-Delhi Garib Rath and Hatia-Jammu Tawi Express would be extended till Rourkela station. Train services during night were suspended following derailment of Jnaneswari Express on May 28 last year due to Maoist sabotage.

Meanwhile, it is being apprehended that normalcy is unlikely before the West Bengal Assembly polls. The local BJD has, however, pinned all hopes on a meeting of the State Government with the chiefs of SER and ECoR.

In a decision taken at a recent meeting of Railway Board, 90 new trains have been proposed among which 75 have to be finalized, and again the steel city of Rourkela has been left out ,while Ranchi and Tatanagar have managed to get more than their share. Hence without wasting any more time, Rourkela Division should be constituted under the administration of East Coast Railways, so that justice is done for the 50 lakh people of Sundargarh,Keonjhar and Jharsuguda districts

PD protocol for kidney treatment opened at IGH

A report from Daily Pioneer

http://dailypioneer.com/318340/PD-protocol-for-kidney-treatment-opened-at-IGH.html

The Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) protocol was inaugurated at Rourkela Steel Plant-owned Ispat General Hospital (IGH) on Friday by its Director SK Mishra. The system, a modern concept world over, would be used for the kidney-affected patients.

Earlier, such patients used to be treated with the Hemo Dialysis (HD), usually costly and specific time-bound along with restricted diet, but with the PD system, the patients have convenience without going to the hospital or nursing home.

As per the recent medical figures, around 7,000 kidney-related patients are in India needing dialysis for the same while as per the IGH records, around 15 patients are there in Rourkela with acute kidney problems who are under different stages of dialysis. Inaugurating the system, Dr Mishra spoke on the recent advancement in PD process and said patients will be more benefited at the IGH.

He also denied any competition between the PD and HD process though each has its own advantages. Specialist surgeon from Hyderabad BV Reddy gave a presentation on PD process of treatment with its advantages while IGH senior deputy director (medicine) SK Mahanta gave a comparison between PD and HD process of treatment with various facts and figures.

He also elaborated the detailed procedure for the Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis which is an important part of the PD protocol.

The PD protocol system treatment is only available at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Now, the western Odisha patients can avail the benefit. A few patients, having already treated on the PD system, shared their experience on the occasion.

Traffic snarls slow down life in Steel City

A report from Indian Express



ROURKELA: The traffic snarl-ups on the busy thoroughfares of the ever-growing Rourkela city have become intolerable for the population of over six lakh.

While the residents have to deal with the inconvenience on a daily basis, the municipal corporation and the traffic police have turned a blind eye to the problem.

The densely populated main road area from Bisra Square to Panposh Square and the local railway station continue to be a nightmare for commuters with traffic moving at a snail’s pace. Both traffic and parking rules are flouted with impunity.

Four-wheelers parked in front of the Haryana Bhawan eat into the road space leading to congestion. With the traffic police doing little to pull up the offenders, the violators are having a field day.

Economic boom has led to unprecedented surge in the number of vehicles. There are over 55,000 four-wheelers and three-wheelers along with 1.20 lakh two-wheelers.

Even as the administration is aimless, the woes of the law abiding residents do not end here.

Numerous cart vendors and cycle-rickshaws, who at times turn bullish, continue to stamp their authority on the left over parking space.

It is learnt that land owners along the busy thoroughfares have used up every inch of the space to develop market complexes with no proper parking space.

Admitting the mounting problem, Rourkela municipal vice-chairman RN Mishra said he would move a proposal in the next council meeting to implement parking fees.