Odisha: Stoppage demand hits movement of trains in Rayagada

KORAPUR: Train movement between Rayagada and Junagarh was affected for nearly four hours following a dharna by locals at the Therubali railway station in Rayagada district on Wednesday.
Locals under the banner Kolnara Citizen Committee (KCC) staged a dharna on the tracks from 10 am to 1.45 pm demanding stoppage of Junagarh-Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam-Nizamuddin, Korba-Vishakapatnam and Dhanbad-Alleppey express trains at Therubali.
The KCC alleged that even though stoppage of express trains is a long-standing demand of the residents and they have put forth their demand before the authorities many times, but in vain. "Every time we meet the railway authorities, they assure to look into our demands but it is yet to be fulfilled.," said Parameswar Nilgiri, president of KCC. The agitators alleged that while all express trains used to halt at Therubali station, post-Covid the trains have stopped halting at the station.
Following the dharna, the railways regulated six trains at Rayagada, Parvatipuram, Bobbili, Bissamkatak, Ambadola and Kandel Road in Raipur-Vizianagaram line under Sambalpur railway division. Currently, traffic has been restored on the route , said a senior railway official.