Bhubaneswar, March 24 Odisha MPs on Tuesday sought the intervention of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to resolve a land-related issue concerning the Railway Employees Cultural Association (RECA) in Kharagpur, West Bengal.
A delegation of MPs, led by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, met Vaishnaw in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum, seeking a resolution to the long-standing issue of allocating 5,915 square metres of railway land in the New Settlement area of Kharagpur, according to an official release.
The MPs said the matter has remained unresolved for over three decades, noting that Odisha MPs had written to the Prime Minister on March 8, 1999, while former Union Minister Debendra Pradhan had also raised the issue with then Minister of State for Railways, Ram Naik, on March 15, 1999.
The legislators said the association has been playing a key role in promoting cultural unity, social welfare, and Odia culture among railway employees in Kharagpur through activities centred around the Shri Jagannath Temple.
Citing an internal railway report, Dharmendra Pradhan said the association has been using the land for a long time, and that schools, temples, and other public infrastructure have been built on it.
He said the Divisional Railway Manager of South Eastern Railway and other officials have already recommended the regularisation of the land.
However, the MPs said that the land has not yet been formally allocated to RECA, and they urged Vaishnaw to consider it as a "special case."
Pradhan added that the association's role extends beyond religious activities and contributes to social harmony and national unity, adding that a permanent resolution would benefit railway employees from across the country residing in Kharagpur.