Bhubaneswar: The Railway Board has given in-principle approval to five projects, which will be developed by Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), a joint venture company of the Odisha government (51%) and the Ministry of Railways (49%), Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
These projects are Gopalpur-Rairakhol new line (270 km), Naraj Marthapur-Kaipadar Road New line bypassing Bhubaneswar (69.54 km), Banspani-Barbil new line (17.5 km), Bargarh-Nuapada new line (142 km) and Buramara-Chakulia new line (55 km).
The query on proposed railway projects awarded to Odisha was posed by BJD MP Prashanta Nanda.
Vaishnaw said that the Board of ORIDL has approved the detailed project report (DPR) for Gopalpur-Rairakhol project, which will connect the industrial belt of Sambalpur with Gopalpur port in Ganjam district while providing a rail link to Kandhamal for the first time, for further submission for sanction of the work.
The Centre has allocated a token amount for the project this year, he said.
The DPR for the Naraj Marthapur-Kaipadar Road project is under consideration by the ORIDL Board. This will help reduce train traffic at busy stations like Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as south-bound goods trains would no longer have to take circuitous journeys.
In-principle approval has been given for the Banspani-Barbil project with a condition that Odisha government would fully fund the project, he informed.
On Bargarh-Nuapada and Buramara-Chakulia projects, the minister said that in-principle approval for pre-investment activities was granted on December 31 last year.
Notably, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 24 last year for early sanction and implementation of Buramara-Chakulia rail link project, which will link Mayurbhanj with the industrial belts of Jharkhand and northern India.
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