Inaugurates Post Offices, Reviews Rail Projects; Ashwini Vaishnaw’s Day Visit To Odisha [Watch]

Bhubaneswar: Union Minister of Railways and Communication & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday inaugurated newly-constructed head post office buildings at Odisha’s Malkangiri.

The Anla sub-post office, Mukhya Dak Ghar, has been upgraded.

Vaishnaw also tweeted about inaugurating three new post office buildings at Manamunda in Boudh district, Salapada in Kendujhar district and Gopalpur in Balasore district.

He also discussed 173.416-km-long Malkanagiri – Bhadrachalam rail line project with railway officials and public representatives at Malkanagiri.

The project was sanctioned by Railway Board on September 9, 2021, at an estimated cost of Rs 2800 crore. It includes 213 bridges, including 48 major and 165 minor bridges. It will have stations at Malkanagiri, Badali, Kowasiguda, Rajanguda, Maharajpalli and Lunimanguda in Odisha and Kannapuram, Kutugutta, Pallu, Nandigama, Bhadrachalam and Pandurangapuram in Telengana.

While the alignment has been done, the survey works are expected to be completed by June, official sources said.

The Union Minister also reviewed Jeypore-Malkangiri, Jeypore-Nabarangpur and Nabarangpur-Junagar rail projects.

In 2018, the government had sanctioned the laying of the first-ever rail line, measuring 130 km, in Malkangiri, at a cost of Rs 2,676 crore.

Vaishnaw also paid tribute to freedom fighter Shaheed Laxman Naik and met BJP workers at Sanskruti Bhawan in Malkangiri.

The Union Minister chaired a review meeting related to developmental works with various stakeholders of Koraput and Malkangiri districts.  “Over 800 mobile towers will be installed in Koraput and Malkangiri districts of Odisha to increase connectivity,” he said. Around 500 towers will be set up at various places in Koraput and 300 towers across Malkangiri district.

Vaishnaw later flagged off the Visakhapatnam-Koraput-Visakhapatnam Daily Passenger Special at Koraput railway station.