Bhubaneswar, Jan. 4: A delegation led by Speaker Niranjan Pujari will meet Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday and impress upon him the need to grant more funds to the state.

In the last railway budget, the state had received Rs 4,300 crore against its demand of Rs 3,200 crore. This year, the Naveen Patnaik government wants a larger allocation for the state in the rail budget.

Sources said the state would demand Rs 5,000 crore in the coming railway budget, so that many of the unfinished projects could be taken up.

BJD chief whip Ananta Das, a key member of the delegation, said: "We have already drawn up a draft memorandum of Rs 5,000 crore. A threadbare discussion will be held on the draft memorandum before it is placed before the railway minister."

The committee has prepared a draft memorandum detailing allocations sought against specific projects. Source said it would demand Rs 1,050 crore for the ongoing rail projects, Rs 2,200 crore for double-line work and Rs 335 crore for electrification work.

On December 2, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and railway minister Suresh Prabhu seeking Rs 5,000 crore this year for the overall development of railway infrastructure in the state.

The chief minister had also raised the demand to make Bhubaneswar a model station.

On December 8, a delegation of BJD MPs, led by its leader in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahatab, had also called on the Union railway minister seeking adequate budgetary allocation.

Member of the House Committee on Railways Pratap Jena said: "We will urge the railway minister to start rail services in six districts of the state."

Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra said that besides a railway wagon factory, more connectivity should be made between west Odisha and New Delhi via Titilagarh, Balangir and Sambalpur.

Sources said the delegation was trying to seek an appointment with the Prime Minister on this issue, but it had not materialised so far.