Bhubaneswar: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Friday approved four railway projects at a total cost of Rs 18,658 crore, for three states, including Odisha. Construction of the third and fourth lines will be carried out on the Sambalpur-Jarapada and Jharsuguda-Sason routes in the state.
Out of the four projects, two projects are in Odisha. The third and fourth lines between Jarapada (Talcher–Angul area) and Sambalpur, to be built at a cost of Rs 3,917 crore, will increase economic activities in Talcher and Sambalpur. “The 277-km-long project will further enable the running of more passenger and express trains in the region and increase the GDP of Odisha. Capacity enhancement is needed in this area,” railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told a press conference in New Delhi.
“Angul and Talcher area, the central region of Odisha, is becoming a big industrial hub. This area has mining activities, power plants, steel and aluminium industries. Jharsuguda is also another industrial hub, and it is a major junction on the Kolkata-Mumbai railway line. It is a busy area, and multiple lines will reduce decongestion and help in improving passenger and goods traffic,” said Vaishnaw.
Similarly, the third and fourth lines between Sambalpur (Sason) and Jharsuguda, to be built at a cost of Rs 1,187 crore, will enable the movement of passengers and cargo in an integrated way, faster movement of trains on the Howrah-Mumbai route, improve economic activities in Odisha, and bring logistics efficiency. “It will be a good freight corridor,” said the minister.
The four projects in Odisha, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh will increase the existing network of the railways by about 1,247 km. “These multi-tracking proposals will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways. The projects are a result of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity,” read a press release from the Centre.
“Grateful to PM Narendra Modi and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for approving two key railway projects in Odisha at a cost of Rs 5,104 crore. These transformative projects will boost connectivity, create economic opportunities and accelerate our journey towards Viksit Odisha,” said chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi.