Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27 -- Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka has urged Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to direct a fresh assessment of land acquired for the proposed Jeypore-Nabarangpur and Jeypore-Malkangiri railway projects.

In a letter sent to the Railway Minister on Tuesday, Ulaka alleged that compensation for affected landowners did not adequately reflect the value of their agricultural land. He said the land in question is fertile, irrigated and capable of producing two crops a year.

According to Ulaka, the farmland, which supports the livelihoods of hundreds of families in Koraput, was reportedly valued at Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per acre.

The MP claimed that factors such as prevailing market prices, farm productivity, irrigation i...