Bhubaneswar: Workers, representatives, and leaders from 11 opposition parties in Odisha staged a demonstration on Thursday in front of the East Coast Railway Zone (ECoR) headquarters (Rail Sadan) in Bhubaneswar, pressing for a series of demands related to railway administration and regional equity.
The protestors called for the immediate return of the Waltair Railway Division to the East Coast Railway zone, cancellation of the decision to transfer the Palasa–Ichchapuram railway region, and the integration of all railway regions passing through Odisha under the East Coast Railway’s jurisdiction. They also demanded inclusion of railway lines from Sundargarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Jharsuguda districts within the zone.
In addition, the demonstrators stressed that Odisha must receive its rightful share in railway revenue, employment opportunities, and infrastructure development.
A five-point memorandum addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was submitted through the General Manager of East Coast Railway on the occasion.
Prominent leaders from multiple political parties participated in the demonstration. Among them were senior Congress leaders Niranjan Patnaik, Srikant Jena, and Prasad Harichandan. From the BJD, senior leader Debi Prasad Mishra, Sushant Kumar Rout, and Ranendra Pratap Swain were present.
Leaders from Left parties also joined the protest, including CPI leaders Dr. Prashant Kumar Mishra, Jayant Das, N. Narayana Reddy, and Sura Jena, as well as CPI(M) leaders Suresh Chandra Panigrahi, Ali Kishore Pattnaik, Santosh Das, and Dushmanta Kumar Das. Representatives from CPI(ML)-Liberation, Forward Bloc, NCP, RJD, Samata Kranti Dal, and JMM also took part.
Several other leaders, including Suresh Kumar Rautray, Lalatendu Mahapatra, Shibananda Ray, Prakash Jena, Prafulla Samal, Chinmay Sahu, Ipsita Sahu, Sipra Mallick, Rajani Kant Mohanty, Dr. Manish Das Pattnaik, Pradipta Nayak, and Sanghamitra Jena, addressed the gathering, reiterating the demand for safeguarding Odisha’s interests in railway administration and development.
