Patnaik reviews Khurda-Balangir Railway project

Asking East Coast Railways to expedite submission of forest diversion proposal for construction of railway track from Balangir side by December end, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Khurda-Balangir Railway project.
Patnaik also asked Railway officials to take up 90 km project work as the state government has already handed over the required land to the Railways.
He also directed the Railway officials to immediately take up the work from Balangir side.
The state government has identified land for construction of project work up to 19 km from Balangir side and paid Rs 8 crore to East Coast Railway (ECoR).

The chief minister asked the Revenue department and Commerce and Transport department to work in coordination to complete the process of land acquisition.
Of the total 289 km Khurda-Balangir railway project, construction work in 41.5 km has been completed up to Rajsunakhala from Khurda. So far two up and down passenger trains are plying from Khurda to Rajsunakhala.

While work from Rajsunakhala to Bolagarh and Nayagarh is underway, construction work up to Bolagarh and Nayagarh will start by June next year and by 2017 respectively, Railway officials said.
This apart, work is underway at different stages from Daspalla to Balangir while proposals on land acquisition, forest diversion and other works have been given to the state government, the Railway officials said.

The 19-km railway work from Bolangir would begin from December, they said.
Meanwhile, Odisha government has signed a MoU with the Railways on July 20 this year for undertaking certain projects on sharing basis.
As per the agreement, the state government would bear the total cost towards land acquisition and 50 percent of the total project cost which is estimated at Rs 2000 crore, a release issued by the chief minister's office said.