Bhubaneswar, July 16: Railway minister Suresh Prabhu Thursday inaugurated a series of rail projects in Orissa, including a new line in Khurda district, and said the country will progress if ports and mines of the state are connected with railway lines.
Prabhu opened a new railway line between Khurda Road and Begunia, a 32-km stretch of the 289-km Khurda-Bolangir track at Begunia in Khurda district.
Prabhu along with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also flagged off the first passenger train on the new line, which chugged on from Begunia to Khurda Road.
The railway minister also inaugurated new railway station buildings at Begunia and Khurda town as well as the second entry and passenger facilities at Berhampur.
Later Prabhu inaugurated the railway station at Malatipatapur near Puri.
The Railways had taken a number of steps for the convenience of pilgrims during Nabakalebar festival, he said, adding, as many as 216 pairs of special trains would be run keeping in mind massive rush to Puri. The railway minister also held meeting with officials in Puri to review various projects in the state.
Prabhu said `195 crore had been sanctioned for Khurda-Bolangir line and efforts were being made to complete work up to Rajsunakhala beyond Begunia by September.
“India will develop if the rail lines in Orissa are improved. This is because Orissa is rich with minerals. If we can provide rail line to ports and mines in Orissa, the country can gain a lot,” Prabhu said at a functionon the occasion.
Prabhu also admitted that there was negligence towards Orissa in the past and several districts in the state were yet to get a rail line.
The Chief Minister urged the railway minister to complete the Khurda-Bolangir project in stipulated time.
Patnaik said the state would sign MoU with the Railway Ministry to provide `1,355 crore for the project out of which `355 crore would be towards land acquisition cost.
The Centre would provide the remaining `1,000 crore for the project as its share.
Patnaik also demanded extension of railways to districts like Deogarh and Kendrapara, Nayagarh, Malkangiri, Boudh and Kandhamal, which have no presence on the rail map.
Prabhu described rail infrastructure as the key to development and said steps were being taken to start work for different other projects like Haridaspur-Paradip and Telcher-Bimlagarh lines. Establishment of a skill development centre in the state was also on the cards, he said.
The work for Khurda-Balangir route, survey for which was done in 1945, however, started in 2007. While work on the 112-km stretch from Begunia to Daspalla in Nayagarh district was going on, plans were made to begin work from Balangir side. The Khurda-Balangir route would link coastal Orissa with the western region of the state. PTI
