New Delhi: Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi (BJD) has sought a reply from the Union government over the inordinate delay in commencement of work for Jeypore-Malkangiri railway project.
The MP asked the Union Minister of Railways Wednesday that whether it is a fact that in spite of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Odisha government and the Ministry of Railways for Jeypore-Malkangiri project, no tangible work has been done on the field even after nearly two years.
He further sought the details and the reasons for the delay. Majhi wanted to know “Whether shortage of manpower is one of the main reasons, if so, the details there of and the steps taken to address the same and the target date fixed to commissioning of the project.”
Replying to the question raised by the BJD parliamentarian, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that final location survey for 30 km stretch has been completed in the first phase. The Railways will place requisition for acquisition of land for the 30 km by September while for the rest 100 km it will be placed in December.
The minister further said that there is no manpower shortage to complete the project. It will be completed in three years after completing land acquisition for the project by the state government.
Notably, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved 130 km-long Jeypore-Malkangiri new line project at a completion cost of `2343.64 crore.
The proposed new line will connect Malkangiri, Boipariguda, Tanginiguda, Mathili, Pondripani Road and other major towns to Jeypore station on the existing Kottavalasa-Kirandul line. Further, connectivity to important towns – Koraput, Jeypore, Jagdalpur, Dantewada and others – will improve. Malkangiri and Koraput districts are among the identified Maoist-affected districts in the country.
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