Cabinet to discuss rail link projects

With an eye on ramping up coal availability, the Union Cabinet will discuss a proposal to lay new railway lines between Gevra Road and Pendra Road in Chhattisgarh and Raigad (Mand Coliery) to Bhupdeopur in Chhattisgarh, sources said. A Cabinet meeting is scheduled for this week.

According to officials, the 122-km rail link between Gevra Road and Pendra Road and the 63-km link from Raigad to Bhupdeopur is part of an ambitious project of the coal and rail ministries to link Mand-Raigarh coalfields of the South Eastern Coalfields (SECL).

According to officials, the government is also planning to set up two other rail links to connect coalfields-- one connecting the North Karanpura coalfield in Jharkhand and the other connecting the IB valley Coal Field in Odisha.

The overall move is part of a bigger plan being implemented under the strict watch of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to set up three rail lines, running 300 km across three naxal-affected but coal-rich states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. The PMO has asked the coal, environment and rail ministries to complete the project in three years to free up 300 mt of coal supply.

The three projects have been under discussions for the past 15 years. These have been held up due to lack of green clearances and land acquisition issues in the respective states.

According to people in the know, the rail links between Palanpur and Samakhiali in Gujarat may also be taken up in the Cabinet meeting.