Sonepur: Delay in land acquisition has affected the expansion of the Khurda-Bolangir rail route to Subarnapur district, sources said Tuesday. As a result train services to Sonepur by the end of June are mired in uncertainty. Sources confirmed that the scheduled deadline will be missed given the pace at which work is progressing. Residents here have been waiting with bated breath for train services to start from Sonepur which is the headquarters of Subarnapur district.
However, it now seems that their wait will be prolonged. As per the reports available, work on the Khurda-Bolangir route has started from both sides. The laying of tracks till Jhartarbha in Subarnapur district is complete from the Bolangir side. Trains have started plying till Jhartarbha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10-km long Bichhupali-Jhartarbha route among other projects through video conferencing, May 18. Officials pointed out that the delay in land acquisition has affected the pace of the project in some parts of the Subarnapur district. They added that earlier also laying of tracks suffered due to glitches in forest land acquisition.
Similarly, due to the non-cooperation of the Revenue Department, work on a two-kilometer stretch in Bahirakhaman under the Sonepur block got delayed. Work in this stretch started only two months back and as a result, plying of trains to Narsinghgad under the Sonepur block may not start on the scheduled date in June. When Modi inaugurated the 15- km long route connecting Bolangir with Bichhupali, January 15, 2019, there was hope that the laying of tracks to Khurda will soon be completed. It was then expected that the work will be expedited from the Bolangir side.
However, it has not happened. Sources pointed out that work has been delayed due to a lack of effective coordination between the Odisha government and the Centre. They said there is a lack of urgency in acquiring land by Subarnapur district administration officials for the project. This has only delayed the laying of tracks from Bichhupali to Narsinghgad and finally to this town. The Railways had targeted to end work on the Jhartarbha to Narsinghgad route by March 2023 and from Narsinghgad to Sonepur by June 2023. However, now it appears to be a distant dream with sources stating that the route may not be functional this year. The Railways initially had planned to construct a bridge for a two-lane road near Dhobabahali locality here.
However, it is now planning to construct a four-lane bridge as the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will develop a bypass road for NH-57. When contacted, a senior Railway official said that the entire project will be delayed by an additional six months. He added that the laying of tracks and construction of the bridge leading to Sonepur will be over by the end of 2023.