BJD Opposes Centre's Decision to Split Waltair Division from East Coast Railway

Bhubaneswar: The opposition BJD on Sunday expressed concerns over the Centre’s decision to delink the Waltair division from the East Coast Railway zone, claiming that the "unilateral" move would lead to "severe economic repercussions for Odisha."

The party questioned the alleged silence of the state’s BJP government on the “critical” issue.

The BJD, however, welcomed the establishment of a new railway division at Rayagada, the foundation stone for which will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

“Delinking the Waltair division, a revenue-generating part, from East Coast Railway, is a move aimed solely at appeasing Andhra Pradesh,” BJD leader Brugu Baxipatra said at a press conference.

BJD MLA Rupesh Panigrahi, and former MP Pradeep Majhi, were also present at the press meet.

They expressed strong reservations about the central government’s move and claimed that the Waltair zone is one of the largest revenue-generating divisions in the ECoR jurisdiction.

"The decision to split the division and transfer ECoR's key revenue-earning part to the South Coast Railway zone is nothing short of an attempt to appease Andhra Pradesh, particularly its political leadership," Baxipatra said.

He highlighted the significance of the Waltair division, which covers over 1,052 kilometres of rail routes, including the Kottavalasa-Kirandul (KK) line, one of the country’s biggest freight revenue earners.

The Waltair division is also home to the largest diesel loco shed in Indian Railways with the capacity to accommodate 300 diesel locomotives.

As a division that surpassed the 75 million tonne mark in loading and exceeded Rs 10,000 crore in revenue earnings by March 31, 2024, he said.

The Waltair zone ranked among the top revenue-earning and freight-loading divisions in the country, he added.

(with agency inputs)