Khurda Road-Balangir railway line venture fast-tracked, to be accomplished quickly: Vaishnaw

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday mentioned the Khurda Road-Balangir railway line venture has been fast-tracked after the Odisha authorities just lately acquired 97 acres of land.

While two km of the brand new line has been laid, building of seven minor bridges has been accomplished within the final one month in addition to the initiation of works for 39 minor bridges and 7 main bridges.

Providing a standing replace on the much-awaited venture as he had assured throughout his latest go to to Odisha, Vaishnaw mentioned, 23,000 sq metre of turfing has additionally been accomplished and 25,000 slippers transported. The venture will likely be accomplished on a precedence, he assured.

Sanctioned in 1994-95, the 289-km venture was caught on account of a delay in land acquisition. Once accomplished the venture, of which solely round 96 km has been accomplished, will present a significant railway hyperlink to a number of the most backward districts of the State. The highest Rs 1,000 crore has been sanctioned for the venture within the 2021-22 rail finances.

Flagging off the brand new trendy LHB rake of Bhubaneswar-Jagadalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express by way of video conferencing from New Delhi, the Railways Minister mentioned a number of different pending railway tasks together with Koraput-Rayagada doubling, Jeypore-Malkangiri, Jeypore-Koraput, Gunupur-Therubali, Talcher-Bimlagarh and Angul-Sukinda line have additionally been expedited.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been stressing upon the need for bringing about reforms in Railways. The vision is to make a wholesome transformation and not just incremental changes. Our government is pursuing the pending projects on an express mode. Every year Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 7000 crore is being sanctioned in the budget for the development of rail infrastructure in Odisha. The government is committed to providing better connectivity and amenities to passengers,” he mentioned.

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Vaishnaw had travelled with the passengers in Hirakhand Express and brought their suggestions concerning the rail providers throughout his latest Jan Ashirwad Yatra. “Though the passengers gave full marks to cleanliness, they were not okay with the condition of the coaches. I decided to immediately change the old coaches and my officers made it possible within a short span. The LHB rakes in Hirakhand Express will provide a better and more pleasant journey experience to train passengers,” he added.

On misappropriation of postal deposits in Koraput and Malkangiri, Vaishnaw knowledgeable that 37 officers have been indicted and disciplinary motion has been initiated towards them. While 70 claims have been obtained from depositors, 10 have been settled up to now.

Speaking on the event Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan mentioned particular consideration is being given to the jap area for growth in railway, nationwide freeway, air connectivity, and different infrastructure tasks.

So far, 1257 coaches of 39 pairs of Mail and Express trains plying by way of East Coast Railway (ECoR) jurisdiction have been changed with LHB coaches and the remainder 2100 coaches will likely be changed quickly.

State Minister Ashok Panda, MP Saptagiri Sankar Ullaka and MLAs Suresh Routray, Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Ananta Narayan Jena, Susant Kumar Rout and Makaranda Muduli have been current at Bhubaneswar station.

Hirakhand Express covers its journey of 784 km from Bhubaneswar to Jagdalpur having stoppages at 21 intermediate stations in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

On-board passengers of the practice can now benefit from the scenic great thing about valley, tunnels, fauna, and flora alongside the route with the snug journey in a contemporary LHB coach that’s anti-telescopic and jerk-free having greater home windows and aesthetic modular interiors.