Bhubaneswar: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday challenged opposition parties to a debate on railway development, comparing what they had achieved during their 50 years in power with that of the BJP-led Centre’s work over the past 12 years.Addressing the issue of railway expansion in Odisha, Vaishnaw, talking on the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony of India’s first advanced 3D glass semiconductor packaging unit at Info Valley, said several new rail lines had been sanctioned under the present govt, unlike those in the past. He also highlighted the ongoing redevelopment of 59 railway stations in the state, including major stations at Bhubaneswar and Puri.“The opposition, including the Congress, is asking what the railways has done for Odisha. I want to ask them how many stations they had developed in the last 50 years. They did not develop even five stations during that period. In contrast, the Centre is now redeveloping 59 stations in Odisha,” Vaishnaw said.He accused the opposition of lacking the moral authority to criticise the Centre’s record on railway development in the state and said he would counter what he described as “misleading narratives” with facts and figures.Listing major projects, the minister said the railways had sanctioned several new lines, including Badampahar-Keonjhar (82km), Bangiriposi-Gorumahisani (86km), Buramara-Chakulia (60km), Chandaneswar-Jaleswar (72km), Junagarh-Nabarangpur, Nabarangpur-Jeypore, Jeypore-Malkangiri, Malkangiri-Pandurangapuram, Bargarh-Nuapada and Gunupur-Therubali. He added that multiple doubling, third-line and fourth-line projects had also been approved.
