NHAI Dithering On Project To Ease Rail Traffic In Bhubaneswar; Read More

Bhubaneswar: Railways have held the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) responsible for the delay of a key project, which would have eased the congestion on the busy Howrah-Bhubaneswar section.

How…

The project in question is laying of the third line between Barang and Khurda Road Railway Station to decongest rail traffic, especially to and from Bhubaneswar, which would require rebuilding the road over bridge between Vani Vihar and Rashulgarh in the Odisha capital. Work for the entire section has been executed except the stretch between Mancheswar Railway Station and Bhubaneswar Railway Station.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal blamed NHAI for its laxity in completing the project. He regretted that the railway had already deposited Rs 10.45 crore about four-and-half years ago, including the money arising out of the revised estimate to NHAI, but it is yet to float the tender to dismantle and rebuild the ROB.

The Minister’s observation was contained in a letter he wrote to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on June 15 this year, the content of which was made public by East Coast Railway on July 14.

Naveen Patnaik’s intervention sought…

In his letter, Goyal sought the personal intervention of the CM for removing bottlenecks for fast execution of the ongoing projects that were facing hurdles like land acquisition and forest clearance.

The minister annexed a list of about 14 such projects and also requested the CM to facilitate the flow of power under open access to the railways. Referring to the Electricity Act of 2013, which has clear legal provisions in this regard, the Railway Minister said power flow under the open access system has not been allowed by the Odisha government to the Railways.

The list of ongoing projects included the crucial Khurda Road-Balangir new line project and sought to expedite land acquisition and forest clearance by the state government.