Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha has demanded Rs 7,200 crore from the Centre to expedite the railways projects, both new and old, in the State.
Informing the development, BJD MP (Rajya Sabha) Amar Patnaik on Wednesday said that the State has demanded Rs 3500 crore for the pending projects and Rs 3700 crore for the new ones.
“We have the rights and we deserve to get required funds from the Centre for early completion of the railway projects. Our legitimate demands need to be fulfilled. The Centre has collected a good amount of GST from Odisha during Covid-19 restrictions. In this backdrop, we should be treated specially in the budget,” Patnaik said.
Rubbishing the allegations of State’s failure in acquiring land, Patnaik said such statement has become stereotype. The State has already provided required lands and funds for many projects, he claimed.
The Rajya Sabha member also wrote to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, expressing concern over the delay in…