A railway station that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a year back, now wears a deserted look!
When PM Modi inaugurated the Bichhupali railway station and the Bichhupali-Balangir railway line in a slew of projects announced for Odisha, it was thought to be a massive move that would result in revenue for the railways as well as provide connectivity to the people of that area.
A year later, the station averages just two passengers daily with the Indian Railways earning Rs 20 per day. The startling discovery was made following an RTI plea filed by a local activist, Hemant Panda.
The Balangir native had sought information from East Coast Railway (ECoR) on the income and expenditure on account of the new railway station. While ECoR remained numb on the information regarding the expenditure, they said the earnings were a mere Rs. 20 per day. The station has a station master, one assistant station master and two clerical staff.
Also Read: Odisha: Lokmanya Tilak Express derails near Cuttack, 20 injured
The Bichhupali station and Bichhupali-Balangir railway line had come up at an estimated cost of Rs 115 crore. Two passenger trains with three coaches each, travel from Bichhupali to Balangir in the morning (6.30 am) and afternoon (1.30 pm).
The railways authorities in the region are, however, hopeful that once the new line between Balangir and Khurda gets completed, the passenger traffic will increase. Also, after completion of the doubling of line between Sambalpur and Titlagarh, the existing passenger train can be extended from Balangir to Sambalpur. This is also expected to increase passenger load and earning.
Though Bichhupali is tiny village, the ECoR authorities consider it to be a strategic station after the entire Khurda-Balangir line gets completed.
The Bichhupali station was inaugurated on January 15, 2019 by PM Modi during his visit to Odisha.