Stage-II green clearance for new railway line project
Bhubaneswar: The final hurdle for the Khurda Road-Balangir new line has been cleared after stage-II clearance for forest land required for the project was accorded recently. Stage-I clearance for forest land was given in Feb 2023.
The rail line project required the acquisition of 3,274.3 hectares of land, including 746.4 hectares of forest land. A major bottleneck in land acquisition was the forest clearance for the 68-km stretch from Daspalla in Nayagarh district to Purunakatak in Boudh district. The patch, which cuts across the Eastern Ghats, has 594.6 hectares of forest land.
The 301-km-long new line project will connect eastern and western Odisha through the hinterland, including Nayagarh, Boudh and Subarnapur districts. It will also provide the shortest link from Khurda to Balangir. But the forest clearance was a major bottleneck in continuing the project sanctioned in 1994-95.
According to East Coast Railway (ECoR), all measures were taken to protect forest cover for movement of animals. “The forest diversion proposal was submitted in 2020 and after a lot of persuasion and compliance with all the provisions of the environment ministry and Supreme Court directives, stage-I forest clearance was obtained in Feb 2023 and stage-II forest clearance was obtained on Jan 13 this year. All contracts are in place and work has geared up with the forest clearance,” read the ECoR statement.
“The alignment was fixed in a better way to avoid Mahanadi wildlife sanctuary on one side and the Brutang river on the other side. To avoid human-animal conflict, a number of measures were taken in consultation with the forest department,” it stated.
A comprehensive wildlife conservation plan was prepared and approved by the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Odisha. “Provisions like viaducts and animal under/overpasses are provided. Passages in the form of bridges are provided for both waterway and animal movement,” said an official source.
Seven tunnels with a total length of 12.7 km will be constructed to avoid forest land acquisition. A 4.8-km long viaduct is under construction for the upcoming Brutang reservoir. “Engineering solutions like the provision of tunnels and viaducts have minimised tree felling, thus helping to maintain the ecosystem,” read the statement.
The rail line project required the acquisition of 3,274.3 hectares of land, including 746.4 hectares of forest land. A major bottleneck in land acquisition was the forest clearance for the 68-km stretch from Daspalla in Nayagarh district to Purunakatak in Boudh district. The patch, which cuts across the Eastern Ghats, has 594.6 hectares of forest land.
The 301-km-long new line project will connect eastern and western Odisha through the hinterland, including Nayagarh, Boudh and Subarnapur districts. It will also provide the shortest link from Khurda to Balangir. But the forest clearance was a major bottleneck in continuing the project sanctioned in 1994-95.
According to East Coast Railway (ECoR), all measures were taken to protect forest cover for movement of animals. “The forest diversion proposal was submitted in 2020 and after a lot of persuasion and compliance with all the provisions of the environment ministry and Supreme Court directives, stage-I forest clearance was obtained in Feb 2023 and stage-II forest clearance was obtained on Jan 13 this year. All contracts are in place and work has geared up with the forest clearance,” read the ECoR statement.
“The alignment was fixed in a better way to avoid Mahanadi wildlife sanctuary on one side and the Brutang river on the other side. To avoid human-animal conflict, a number of measures were taken in consultation with the forest department,” it stated.
A comprehensive wildlife conservation plan was prepared and approved by the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Odisha. “Provisions like viaducts and animal under/overpasses are provided. Passages in the form of bridges are provided for both waterway and animal movement,” said an official source.
Seven tunnels with a total length of 12.7 km will be constructed to avoid forest land acquisition. A 4.8-km long viaduct is under construction for the upcoming Brutang reservoir. “Engineering solutions like the provision of tunnels and viaducts have minimised tree felling, thus helping to maintain the ecosystem,” read the statement.
