Big ticket coal, port initiatives in Odisha underneath Prime Minister’s Office fail to maneuver

By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Even because the State Government claims that large ticket initiatives monitored underneath Prime Minister’s workplace in addition to undertaking monitoring group (PMG) of the Union Cabinet secretariat are crusing easily, floor realities appear to be totally different.

Cases in level are the third and 4th rail line initiatives between Budhapank and Salegaon which had been  taken up for overview on the CCI PMG assembly right here on Wednesday.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for the strains between Budhapank and Salegaon through Rajathgarh railway line of 85 km every with a value of Rs 1,172.92 crore in November 2015. 

A coal and port connectivity undertaking for transhipment of coal from Mahanadi Coalfields at Talcher, one of many largest coal reserves of the nation, to Paradip port in addition to to the ability homes in southern states, was initially scheduled for completion inside three years time.

Even because the nation is going through acute scarcity of coal and a majority of thermal energy stations are working at plant load issue (PLF) a lot under their producing capability because of coal shortage, the 2 rail line initiatives are shifting at a snail’s tempo. The revised timeline of June 2021 for completion of the undertaking has already handed.

As per the unique schedule, the Salegaon-Charbatia (9.86 km), Charbatia-Gurudijhatia (16.19 km), Gurudijhatia-Machharpur (13.98 km) and Machhapur-Rajathgarh (25.9 km) sections had been to be accomplished and commissioned by December 2018. Timeline for commissioning the third and 4th line between Jarapada and Budhapanka (44+47 km) was set for February 2019.

The Prime Minister reviewed the progress of those commercially vital strains together with different initiatives of the State in 2020 as not a single part of the initiatives might be commissioned in time. Sources accustomed to the initiatives mentioned the undertaking implementing businesses have did not utilise the funds allotted in every monetary yr. More than 50 per cent of the annual grants have been surrendered. 

The initiatives undergo because of frequent switch of engineers accountable for initiatives of East Coast Railway. The incumbent Chief Engineer (Project) and the Deputy Chief Engineer are the fifth officers to be posted within the final six years.

Frequent switch of engineers and lack of monitoring on the zonal stage have severely hit the planning course of and execution, the sources maintained.