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Sir — This is one wretched state of affairs that the New Delhi-Puri Purushottom Express (12802) is leaving New Delhi for Orissa every day at 10:20 pm and covering Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal. It usually reaches Tata Nagar the next day at 8:05 pm. This is where the ordeal of passengers begins.
The train is held up at Tata Nagar railway station for security reasons.
It is detained on the platform from 8:05 pm to 4:50 am, without essential amenities, especially during summer. And the worst hit are people travelling to Orissa. Passengers going to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal reach their respective destinations in time but only the Oriyas reach theirs after a delay of 9-10 hours.
If the authorities mention this problem at the time of purchasing the ticket, one could think of an alternative. Even when the train reaches Tata Nagar, railway authorities do not inform passengers about the detention of the train.
If the security problem between the Tata Nagar and Kharagpur is the reason, then I do not think detaining a train for an entire night is the appropriate solution. If the departure of the train from Delhi can be re-scheduled, the train reaches two hours earlier at the Tata Nagar station. There would be no need to detain it since Kharagpur is within two-hour limits.
Hence, without taking any befitting measure or coming up with an alternative solution, the railway department is putting Oriyas in a very inconvenient position. As I was a victim of this deplorable situation on April 10, I have lodged a written complain at the office of Tata Nagar railway station.
I request you to bring it to the notice of the common people so that they would be careful while purchasing tickets. I am sure your newspaper would take up this matter with the railway authorities for an effective and appropriate solution.
Satya Narayan Mishra,
Shatabdi Nagar, Bhubaneswar
Sir — Kudos for the commendable work for the Utkal Divas special stories, especially the front page story ‘Destiny’s Bond’ on Ramanath Mishra, the septuagenarian who shares his birthday with Orissa.
I cannot thank you enough for taking us down memory lane. This special edition was a valuable piece of memorabilia and a collector’s item. The history behind the formation of a separate Orissa, the state legislative Assembly “then and now”, personal accounts of prominent personalities from various walks of life and even the analogy between the various events that took place in 1936 and 2011 made for an interesting read.
Satwik Mohanty,
Rajabagicha, Cuttack
Sir — - Orissa being a state blessed with a huge coastline needs to make the best possible use of this natural resource.
But even as the state is trying to set up ports, small and big, along the coast, Bengal has become an impediment to our growth.
The expansion of Kolkata Port Trust limits is bound to hit the development of several proposed ports within the Orissa territory. Your esteemed newspaper has done a great job by taking up the issue in a big way highlighting the devious designs of the Kolkata Port Trust.
I think your newspaper carried more reports on the issue than any other newspaper in the town.
Your reports have also been very perspicacious and have succeeded in bringing home the threat posed by the Kolkata Port Trust’s plans.
Manas Satpathy,
Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar
Sir — Your coverage of civic issues has been excellent.
What makes readers like me particularly happy is that you have taken up issues of cleanliness and sanitation including the choking of some crucial drainage channel in campaign style. Here, I have a suggestion to make which hopefully you would agree to. The onset of summer has brought back memories of the days when the capital used to be a much cooler place.
It was not just about sea breeze blowing in the evening but also the general temperature of the city which was moderated by the cooling effects of the numerous waterbodies and wetlands than existed then. Unfortunately, most of these have disappeared over the years, thanks to the greed to the people and the apathy of the authorities. You could run a series on the disappearance of these wetlands and the impact it has had on the climate.
Babu Kanungo,
Unit VIII, Bhubaneswar
Sir — This is regarding the report 'Ravenshaw student kills self' published on April 11 in your esteemed newspaper. Such incidents, where young students commit suicide owing to academic pressure, are becoming common in the state. As a parent myself, I fail to understand why we elders burden our children with heavy, and at times, unrealistic, expectations. Probably, it's time all academic courses are accompanied with a regular counselling programme for students, parents and even teachers. Ambitions and aspirations of parents and teachers must not interfere in the development of students of any age as individuals. To prevent such incidents, they must be encouraged to find out their potential in a relaxed and stress-free manner.
Smita Panigrahi,
Ranihat, Cuttack
Sir — The article published in your newspaper, ‘All eyes on spinner from state’, on April 12, 2011, was very interesting and presented the feelings of many sports lovers and cricket fans of the state. It is true that Pragyan Ojha has made the state proud and there is a huge support for him in Orissa. But there are many other cricketers from the state, excelling in both departments of the game, be it bowling or batting.
Hopefully, the Orissa Cricket Association would wake up to the fact that despite its love for the game, Orissa is yet to show its talent in the national and international spheres of cricket.
If players from small cities from other parts of the country can make it big, why cannot our authorities support our players well enough, so they clinch a spot in the national team?
Apurba Pramanik,
Lewis Road, Bhubaneswar
