Berhampur: The Indian Railways will for the first time conduct the final location survey for a railway line project using drones and helicopters in Odisha.
The survey to be undertaken for Sambalpur-Gopalpur port railway line is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month. The preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey for the project, approved by the Railway Board last year, will be carried out by Hyderabad-based Aarvee Associates Survey Consultancy, according to a TNIE report.
Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), a joint venture of the state government and Ministry of Railways, had floated the tender for the survey and the Railway Ministry had sanctioned `10 lakh for the purpose.
Sibaprasad Samantaray, the special officer appointed for the task, said after the detailed project report is submitted, the Central government would release `2,957 crore for the project subject to approval of NITI Aayog.
As per preliminary estimate, the proposed 240-km railway line will have 5 tunnels, 38 major bridges, 184 minor bridges and 18 railway stations. It will connect parliamentary constituencies of Berhampur, Aska, Kandhamal and Sambalpur. It is expected to be completed in three years.
The Centre had asked East Coast Railway (ECoR) to conduct the baseline survey in 2010-11. Though ECoR submitted a 212-page survey report to the Ministry of Railways, the project is yet to take off.