Railways to invest Rs.1 lakh cr in Odisha: Vaishnaw

Bhubaneswar: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said new railway projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore will be implemented in Odisha in the next five years.

Addressing a programme organised by Odisha BJP here to felicitate the newly-elected party’s 20 MPs and 78 MLAs, Vaishnaw said the allocation to Odisha in the railway budget has been enhanced from Rs 800 crore during the UPA government tenure to over Rs 10,000 crore during Modi government.

Though many mega railway projects have been sanctioned, those were delayed due to delay in land acquisition by the previous BJD government, said Vaishnaw. "Now double-engine government is formed and the pace of the railway projects will be accelerated," he added.

Vaishnaw said a new railway line of 1,826 km was constructed in Odisha during the last 10 years, which is higher than the total railway network of Sri Lanka (1,700 km).