New Delhi, March 24: A delegation of Odisha MPs, led by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and submitted a memorandum seeking early allotment of the long-pending railway land for the Railway Employees Cultural Association (RECA) at Kharagpur.
The delegation requested regularisation of approximately 5,915 square metres of railway land located in the New Settlement area of Kharagpur, which has been under the use of RECA for several decades.
They informed that the matter has been pending for over three decades. In 1999, Odisha MPs had written to the then Prime Minister on the issue, and the late Union Minister Dr. Debendra Pradhan had also requested the Railway Ministry for allotment of the land.
Since 1989, RECA has been promoting cultural unity, social welfare, and Odia heritage among railway employees in the multilingual railway town of Kharagpur.
The association has developed welfare infrastructure, including a school, Shri Jagannath Temple, and community facilities, on the land.
Railway officials, including the Divisional Railway Manager, South Eastern Railway, Kharagpur, have recommended regularisation.
The MPs urged the Railway Minister to treat the matter as a special case and ensure early allotment, stating that a permanent solution will benefit railway employees from different states residing in Kharagpur.
