Odisha Govt Sanctions Rs 300 Crore For Khurda Road-Balangir Rly Project

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 300 crore for the ongoing Khurda Road-Balangir railway project works.

The Commerce and Transport department, in a release on Tuesday, stated that it has approved the amount for laying train tracks from Daspalla in Nayagarh district to Jharatarbha in Balangir district. Out of the total 301 km track, this stretch extends from 112 km to 289 km.

As per the agreement with the Railway Ministry, the state government would bear 50% of the total project cost. In order to give a thrust to train communication, the government has made a provision of Rs 320 crore in its Budget for 2023-24 financial year.

It may be noted that the Ministry of Forest and Environment had given its permission for the remaining 68 km of the railway line in February. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the tenders for starting the work on this section of the train track were being issued and those would be finalised soon.

Out of total 301-km railway line, the work on 115 km has been completed. The estimated cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 3791.66 crore. The highest Rs 1,000 crore was sanctioned for the project in the 2021-22 rail budget.

When completed, the project will connect Balangir, Sonepur, Phulbani, Boudh, Nayagarh and Khurda districts and build another rail link between western and coastal Odisha.