6 vital railway projects approved for Odisha

Bhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for approving six vital railway projects for the State with an estimated cost of Rs 15,004 crore.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister on Friday, has approved eight projects of the Railway Ministry with a total estimated cost of approximately Rs 24,657 crore.

The new line proposals will provide direct connectivity and improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. The projects are in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a New India which will enhance employment/self-employment opportunities.

The projects are result of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity which have been possible through integrated planning and will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services.

The eight projects covering 14 districts in seven States -- Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal -- will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by 900 km.

With these projects, 64 new stations will be constructed, providing enhanced connectivity to six aspirational districts such as East Singhbum, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Rayagada benefiting about 40 lakh population spread over 510 villages.

East Coast Railway sources on Saturday said these are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertiliser, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, bauxite, limestone, aluminium powder, granite, ballast and containers.

The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 143 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). The Railways, being environment-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (32.20 crore litres) and lower CO2 emissions (0.87 million tonnes) which is equivalent to plantation of 3.5 crore trees.

The new lines sanctioned in Odisha are Gunupur-Therubali new line (73.62 km) in Rayagada district at a cost of ₹1,326 crore; Junagarh Road-Nabarangpur new line (1,16.21 km) in Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts at a cost of ₹ 3,274 crore; Malkangiri-Pandurangapuram (via Bhadrachalam) new line (173.61 km) in Malkanagiri district.

The other railway line projects sanctioned for Odisha are Badampahar- Kendujhargarh new line (82.06 km) in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts at a cost of ₹2107 crore; Bangriposi-Gorumahisani new line (85.60 km in Mayurbhanj district at a cost of ₹2,549 crore and Buramara – Chakulia new kine (59.96 km) in Mayurbhanj district.

Briefing the media through video conference, Vaishnaw said all the new projects and ongoing projects in the State will be expedited by the double- engine government. He also said the hurdles for construction of rail line will now be solved quickly. These projects were the Prime Minister’s vision of development from East, he said.

Vaishnaw said projects worth ₹1 lakh crore have been planned for Railway Infrastructural Development in Odisha.

Till now, projects worth ₹70,000 crore have been already been sanctioned for Odisha.

The Chief Minister also assured the Railway Minister that Odisha government will take all efforts for Rail Infrastructural Development in the State and steps will be taken for early completion of land acquisition work.