New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) A protest was held at the Jantar Mantar on Friday demanding the approval and implementation of the new rail line that is proposed to connect Jajpur Road with Dhamara Port via Jajpur town and Aradi in Odisha.

A multi-party popular platform named Jajpur-Road-Dhamara Railpath Sangram Samiti organised the programme.

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The agitators alleged that the Ministry of Railway is discriminating against Odisha.

They questioned why the project is shelved when it is calculated to provide a rate of return (ROR) of 27.43 per cent, much higher than the minimum requirement of 10 per cent.

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The protesters said that on the other hand during the last decade, 41 projects have received the ministry's approval, the ROR of all those being below the ROR of Jajpur Road-Dhamara project.

"Projects with zero ROR or negative ROR are considered for construction. We ask why Odisha is discriminated against when it generates the highest amount of revenue per annum," the Samiti said.

A delegation representing the protesters met Union Education & Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and presented a memorandum demanding approval for the project.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)