Naveen bats for national tag on three rail projects

Projects include Bhadrachalam Road-Talcher rail link via Malkangiri, Jeypore and Lanjigarh, Sambalpur-Brahmapur new rail link via Phulbani and Rayagada-Gopalpur link

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Pitching for opening up of virgin areas for industrialisation and development through rail connectivity, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accord national status on three railway projects.

These include the proposed Bhadrachalam Road-Talcher rail link via Malkangiri, Jeypore and Lanjigarh, Sambalpur-Brahmapur new rail link via Phulbani and Rayagada-Gopalpur link.

“Surveys for these lines have been sanctioned and I would request you to advise the Ministry of Railways to execute these projects on priority basis. These projects should be treated as National Projects”, Patnaik wrote to the Prime Minister. On the Khurda Road-Bolangir new rail project connecting western Odisha with the coastal region, Patnaik said, “The project was sanctioned way back in 1994-95 but the progress is at a slow pace due to lack of fund. The Odisha government has committed to allocate land (including private land) in the Daspalla-Bolangir stretch (112-289 km) free of cost and share 50 per cent of construction cost for this segment. Hence, the Railway ministry may be urged to take up this project on top priority.”

Pointing out the Railways’ earnings from Odisha is estimated to be in excess of Rs 14,000 crore in last fiscal, he stressed on ensuring allocation of a sizeable part of the revenues generated from Odisha for strengthening and expanding rail infrastructure. Patnaik said with investment proposals worth Rs 8.85 lakh crore in various stages of implementation, it was imperative to scale up rail infrastructure to meet the burgeoning rail traffic.

“It is expected that the growth in rail borne traffic will be in excess of 300 million tonne per annum in the next five years. I have been requesting the Ministry of Railways to put in place a time-bound infrastructure upgradation arrangement for the ports coming up on the Odisha coast. A synchronised development plan between those of the ports and related rail connectivity is a necessity for maximizing economic gains”, the letter stated.

Patnaik reiterated his demand for extension of the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni to Brahmapur so as to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and the vast northern and central hinterlands of the country.

In the pre-Rail Budget  memorandum, the state government has also proposed dedicated rail corridors in the Angul-Talcher coal belt, Basundhara coal belt in Jharsuguda-Sundargarh and Banspani-Nayagarh iron ore region. These corridors are proposed to be co-habited by multiple users and developed through participative funding. The Railway ministry has been urged to consider for setting up of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for these rail corridors.

Separately, in a letter to Railways minister D V Sadananda Gowda, the chief minister has stressed on expediting two crucial rail links- Angul-Duburi-Sukinda Road and Paradeep-Haridaspur for which SPVs have already been floated.

To ensure seamless flow of traffic between industrial and mining areas and ports, he has called upon the Railway ministry to speed up construction on Burhamura-Chakulia, Gunupur-Theruveli and Banspani-Barbil links.

The state government has also revisited its demand for world class stations at Bhubaneswar and Puri.