Gunupur/Padmapur: Hopes for construction of the proposed Gunupur-Therubali rail route have soared high after the BJP formed governments both at the Centre and the state, a report said. This is on account of the fact that Aswini Vaishnaw, representing Odisha, has once again become the Union Railway Minister. He is well aware of the proposed rail route, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a road map of 100-days to his ministers for implementation of pending projects. Residents believe that Vaishnaw will take note of the pending rail route project and work towards it in his 100 days of joining office. Earlier, the project caught fire and was caught in a slugfest between the Centre and the state. The previous state government had agreed to provide land free of cost but did not commit to bearing half of the project cost.
As a result, the project failed to take off and remained a non-starter. Meanwhile, with the saffron party in power at both the Centre and state, observers expect that both governments will give due importance to the project as per the demands of the residents. Meanwhile, a detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared for the Gunupur-Therubali rail route project. The Centre had mentioned about the project in the 2017-18 Railway Budget which will be 73.62 km in length. The Centre had made a plan outlay of Rs 935.72 crore in the Railway Budget. However, though six years have passed since then, the project has remained a non-starter. The Centre even included the rail route under PM Gati Shakti Yojana, but the fate of the project is still mired in uncertainty. Meanwhile, the project cost has increased to Rs 1,398 crore with the passage of time. In the meantime, the Centre has been sanctioning small amounts of funds in the budget every year in the name of the Naupada-GunupurTherubali rail route project. Experts said the fate of the project is hanging in the balance as no big funds are being sanctioned for its implementation.
Earlier, the residents of Gunupur took out a bicycle rally and submitted a memorandum to the Union Railway Minister during his visit to Rayagada. Reports stated that the Centre had listed the rail route project for approval by the Union Cabinet before the election. When constructed, the rail route will usher in development in the tribal-dominated district and help in connecting Rayagada with Berhampur and other areas. It is said that the Railway will also make profits from this route when the project takes shape.
