Odisha opposes Palasa-Ichchapuram rail switch to South Coast Railway
3 min learnBhubaneswarApr 3, 2026 05:47 PM IST
The Railway Board’s determination to deliver the Palasa-Ichchapuram part underneath the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone is going through opposition in Odishawith leaders from each the ruling BJP and the Opposition BJD demanding a rollback.
The Palasa-Ichchapuram stretch, although geographically positioned in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, has been administered underneath the Khurda Street division of East Coast Railway (ECoR), which is headquartered in Bhubaneswar, since ECoR’s creation in 1996 underneath Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. The Railway Board has now directed each SCoR and ECoR to revise their boundary accordingly, a transfer that may increase the Visakhapatnam-headquartered SCoR’s geographical attain whereas lowering ECoR’s income base.
The BJD alleged that there was a sustained “conspiracy” to weaken ECoR, which it described as considered one of Indian Railways’ most worthwhile zones, by progressively shrinking its territory. BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra wrote to Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, arguing that the choice threatens Odisha’s monetary and administrative stake within the railway community.
“Any diversion of jurisdiction over such high-revenue sections dangers monetary loss, weakens administrative management and dilutes Odisha’s function in railway community planning and prioritisation,” Patra wrote, noting that the state is a serious contributor to Railways’ freight earnings via coal, minerals and industrial output. He demanded that no adjustments affecting Odisha be applied with out session with the state’s individuals and elected representatives.
The BJD additionally turned the problem right into a political assault on the BJP, which swept to energy in Odisha on an Odia satisfaction platform. BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty questioned the silence of the state’s 20 BJP MPs on the matter and warned of protests if the choice shouldn’t be reconsidered.
Nonetheless, BJP voices from the state have additionally pushed again towards the Railway Board’s transfer. Berhampur MP Pradeep Panigrahy, calling the Palasa-Ichchapuram stretch the “financial artery of Southern Odisha”, mentioned severing it from ECoR would harm the area’s logistics and income. He used the event to demand the creation of a brand new Railway Division at Berhampur in Ganjam district. Panigrahy has additionally written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi looking for safety of what he termed Odisha’s “railway sovereignty”.
BJP MLA Purna Chandra Sethi mentioned a delegation of MLAs would quickly meet the Union Railways Minister to press for a rollback.
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