Odisha CM writes to Railway Minister for railway projects

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to sanction some railway projects in Mayurbhanj district and said that the state government will provide land free of cost to make the projects viable.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district in the first week of January. Modi during his visit to Odisha on December 24, had inaugurated and laid foundation stone of projects worth above Rs 14,000 crore.

"As some projects are missing links of the existing network and also are potential alternative routes, I request the Ministry of Railways to sanction the missing link projects of Bangiriposhi-Gorumahisani in Mayurbhanj in Odisha and Buramara-Chakulia in Odisha and Jharkhand to provide the much needed connectivity," Patnaik wrote to Goyal.

Patnaik also assured the Railway Minister that in order to make the projects more viable, the state government will provide land free of cost for Odisha portion of the projects in the greater interest of the people of Mayurbhanj, who have historically seen better railway connectivity.

"While I understand that financial viability is an important consideration for sanctioning of new projects, it is certainly not the only consideration. On grounds of strategic reasons; provision of missing links, creation of alternate routes and grater social equity, Railways have always been sanctioning important project," Patnaik said.

Stating that he had earlier requested for sanctioning of missing railway links in Odisha, Patnaik said without such facilities the full potential of existing railway lines is not being exploited in Mayurbhanj district.

Patnaik pointed out that Mayurbhanj district was a rich princely state prior to Independence, and always had a large rail network. However, railways have not invested much to expand the pre-Independence rail network that was existing in the then princely state of Mayurbhanj.

In more than 70 years after Independence, Patnaik said railways have only commissioned the gauge conversion work on the existing single line of 90 km between Rupsa to Bangiriposhi in the year 2006.

Railways had previously sanctioned a missing link of 50 km between Buramara (Odisha) to Chakulia (Jharkhand), to provide connectivity, but unfortunately Railways have now proposed to drop the work from its sanctioned list on the ground of lack of financial viability, Patnaik said.

Similarly, another survey for the same connectivity has been completed for a 42-km line between Bangiriposhi and Gorimahisani, the chief minister said adding," Even for this missing link, work is not being sanctioned by railways citing low rate of return.