The Railways minister Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav has presented his third Railway Budget in the Parliament on February 24th 2006. Though challenge is not unknown to Laluji in politics, but today he led the railways into battle with low-cost airlines by cutting air-conditioned train fares. At the same time, he has not touched the lower-class passenger fares and freight rates. With this budget, the Lalu Express again returned to the populist track. Every time the Railway Budget has always concentrated on the main vote bank (back ward and middle class citizens). But this time he has maintained a good balance between the rich and poor by unchanging the low-cost fares and by cutting the AC fairs in his budget. At the same time, Orissa has got ever all time high allocation in this year's Railway Budget. The state government's industrial drive may be a major reason for hiking the allocation. However, the state has witnessed raw deals in the previous years due to ignorance by the central government.

Keeping the unsatisfactory expansion of railway projects in mind, the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Prime Minister to provide Rs 800 crores in the railway budget to Orissa. He used the rapid industrialization and steel plant projects as a tool for allocating of a huge amount for the state. With his letter, he has stapled a long list of demands like the doubling of railway lines, gauge conversion, new railway projects, new trains and completion of several long pending railway projects. Besides that he has insisted that the construction work of Jaypore-Malkangiri(117kms) and Talcher-Gopalpur(245 kms), Puri-Konark (35 kms), Baragarh-Nuapada (120 kms) and extention of the Nuapada-Gunupur railway line project up to Therubali should be started at the earliest. He proposed a list of new trains Sambalpur- Allahabad, Bhubaneswar-Kanyakumari super fast, Koraput-Rourkela intercity express, Gandhidham-Puri express, Keonjhar-Howrah and Baripada-Visakhapatanam by keeping the demand and necessity of the passengers.

The allocation for Orissa in the Railway budget has touched an all time high of Rs 653.9 crore as against its demand of Rs 800 crore. The allocation has gone up by Rs 279.39 crore this time compared to last year's Rs 374.51 crore. The highlight of the Railway Budget is that three new trains, Bhubaneswar- Baripada (thrice a week ), Howrah-Puri Express (biweekly) and Bhubaneswar-Pondichery (weekly) have been introduced for the State. Besides that routes of five trains have been extended in the Budget. Puri-Jaipur Express train will be extended to Jodhpur, Raipur-Sambalpur Express extended to Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam-Nizamudin Express extended to Amritsar, Bangalore-Visakhapatnm-Prasanti Express extended to Bhubaneswar and Puri-Sambalpur Passenger extended to Rourkela. The Bangalore-Bhubaneswar connection has brought cheers to a lot of Oriya computer professionals who are working in different firms in Bangalore.

As far as new railway line is concerned, the state has not got a single new project, though 550 kilometers of new lines have been proposed. But the budget has addressed a key area by allocating more funds for the completion of on going projects in the State. Provision

for gauge conversion has also increased manifold from Rs 8 crore to Rs 49 crore, while for doubling of lines Rs 293 crore has been allocated against last year's Rs 170 crore. The Daitari-Banspani railway line project, a vital link between the industrial hub in Jajpur district and the mineral rich Keonjhar district, has got Rs 155 crore. Haridaspur-Paradip line, another key railway line, has also got an increased provision of Rs 44 crore. Provision for other ongoing projects in the budget are, Lanjigarh-Junagarh (Rs 19 crore), Khurda Road-Balangir (Rs 23 crore), Angul-Duburi-Sukinda Road (20 crore) and Talcher-Bimlagarh (Rs 10 crore).

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday expressed happiness at the record allocation in the rail budget for the state. He said the hike in allocation was due to industrial surge, which the state was currently witnessing. However, expressed his disappointment over the fact that certain areas of vital importance like doubling and new lines have been neglected. "The Jayapur-Malkangiri rail link, which is very important infrastructure for tribal districts such as Malkangiri and Koraput districts in the KBK region has not received any attention,” he said. Leader of the Opposition J. B. Patnaik and OPCC President Jaydev Jena, on the other hand, hailed the Railway Budget for the highest-ever allocation for the state, with the reaction that the UPA government had rightly recognized the infrastructure needs of a backward state like Orissa. Most of the people were disappointed as the State was not connected with the Garib Rail Rath programme. No new projects have been introduced and no new line has been sanctioned for Orissa.

Orissa always treated as a stepbrother in the Railway Budget. It's a tendency that the Railway Ministers have always wanted to have a good connectivity with their home state and the rest of the country, which can be fulfilled by allocating a loin's share of the Railway Budget. This time, Mr. Lau Prasd Yadav Bihar has not taken aback and connected his state by 'Garib Rath'', introduced 14 new trains and 17 new railway lines. Every minister has an affinity towards his or her home state. Unfortunately, still now the great politicians of Orissa have not created a base in the central level to demand a major portfolio in the central government. Every time we have to satisfy with the little mercy by the central government. But the industrial surge made it possible to compel them for allocating a huge amount so that the infrastructure of the state can be reached at a level to attract the foreign investors to invest in the state.

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