Rourkela: Work for the Talcher-Bimlagarh railway line which has long been stuck due to land hurdles from Bimlagarh side is expected to resume soon as the Union Railway Ministry has agreed to provide the necessary compensation to the land losers. Reports said Rs 37 crore is required to pay as compensation to the land owners who would spare their land for the railway project. Spokesperson of ‘Koshal Janata Dal’ Surma Mishra, through a letter, had drawn the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the stalemate of the ambitious railway project.
Following the letter, it was learned that the railway ministry has intimated the Sundargarh Collector that the required fund will be paid to the beneficiaries. The chief administrator (Construction) of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) in a letter to the district administration has stated that funds would not be a constraint for the railway project. “Funds for the project will be provided to the Sundargarh Collector,” the letter said. The ECoR has given its consent to pay the hiked amount of land compensation for Bimlagarh. The Collector is expected to hasten the land acquisition process by paying the increased compensation amount to the land owners.
Talcher-Bimlagarh railway line, a key infrastructure project, has been hanging fire despite regular monitoring by the Prime Minister’s Office and being included under ProActive Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform. It may be noted here that Talcher- Bimlagarh railway line project has failed to gain pace as ECoR could not get physical possession of the remaining land from the Bimlagarh side. The Sundargarh district administration was supposed to ensure land by March 2022 to start work from the Bimlagarh side. Some locals had earlier written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requesting his direct intervention to remove land-related hurdles.
