Koraput: Jeypore Jagaran Parishad has urged the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to extend the newly introduced Puri-Koraput passenger train up to Jeypore, saying its current schedule would offer little benefit to passengers from Jeypore, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts.A delegation of the parishad submitted a memorandum to ECoR general manager Parameswar Funkwal during his visit to Jeypore on Friday. The parishad welcomed the introduction of the passenger train, describing it as the fulfilment of a long-standing demand of people in the region. However, it expressed concern over the schedule, particularly the train’s late-night arrival at Koraput.“While we are grateful to the railway authorities for introducing a passenger train on the Puri-Koraput route, the present schedule is not convenient for people from Jeypore, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri. The train reaches Koraput around 11.30 pm, when there is hardly any transport facility available for passengers to reach these places,” the parishad said in its memorandum.It said passengers travelling overnight from Puri and other places would face considerable inconvenience after reaching Koraput at such a late hour, as they would have to wait at the station for local transport. It pointed out that the train’s departure from Koraput towards Puri has been fixed at around 5 am, which is inconvenient for passengers from neighbouring areas.According to the parishad, extending the train to Jeypore would address the difficulties faced by passengers arriving at Koraput late at night and improve connectivity to Jeypore and adjoining districts. The delegation urged Funkwal to revise the timetable and extend the train to Jeypore at the earliest. “The matter will be looked into,” he said.
