Cabinet nod for rail infra projects worth Rs 10,736 cr

Businesstoday, May 25, 2016

Railway projects worth Rs 10,736 crore were cleared by the government on Wednesday for improving infrastructure in various states, including Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat that go to polls next year.

The projects, including three for doubling of existing rail lines and two for laying a third rail line on busy routes, were cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I am happy to say that the CCEA has approved projects worth Rs 10,736 crore for doubling and tripling (of railway lines). There are a total of five new projects, three doubling projects for 763 kms and two third line projects for 514 kms.

"The benefit of these projects obviously will go to several states but two important states will benefit immensely, one is Gujarat and the other is Uttar Pradesh," Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said at a press conference after the meeting.

Providing details of the projects, he said, in Gujarat the CCEA has given approval for doubling of Surendranagar-Rajkot project at an estimated cost of Rs 1,002.39 crore with expected completion cost of Rs 1,137.17 crore with 5 per cent escalation per annum.

The length of the railway line will be 116.17 kms. The completion period of the project will be four years.

"It is a major push to Gujarat's industrialisation ability," he said.

He said the doubling of this line will greatly ease the ever increasing freight traffic between Okha-Rajkot, Porbandar-Kanalus, Veraval-Rajkot and Maliya Maiyana - Navalakhi-Dahinsara-Wankaner sections.

In UP, he said the doubling of Roza-Sitapur Cantt-Burhwal broad gauge single line project has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs 1,295.42 crore with expected completion cost of Rs 1,486.46 crore with 5 per cent escalation per annum.

The length of the railway line will be 180.77 kms. The completion period of the project will be five years.

The doubling of this line between Burhwal junction and Roza junction will fulfill the demand of the increasing traffic leading to socio-economic development of the area.

Besides, there will be continuous double line track available from Gorakhpur to Delhi via Sitapur Cantonment and Moradabad.

Barabanki and Sitapur districts of UP would also be benefited through this project.

Prabhu said the CCEA also gave its nod for doubling of Pune-Miraj-Londa railway line in Maharashtra at an estimated cost of Rs 3,627.47 crore and expected completion cost of Rs 4,246.84 crore in five years keeping in view the 5 per cent escalation per annum.

The length of the railway line will be 467 kms.

Besides the travelling people, industries in and around Miraj-Londa section will have additional transport capacity to meet their requirements.

Doubling of this line will greatly ease the ever increasing freight traffic on the Pune-Miraj-Londa section thereby increasing the revenue of the Railways, a railway ministry statement said.

The Pune-Miraj section is non-electrified single line on diesel traction and it is oversaturated.

"The additional traffic running over and above 100 per cent of utilisation is proposed to be diverted on the proposed doubling. The doubling of the section would come as an advantage as it would strengthen the rail network necessary to operate more passenger trains with increased speed and better efficiency," it said.

Prabhu said the CCEA also granted approval for the Vizianagaram and Titlagarh third line project at an estimated cost of Rs 2,335.68 crore. The length of the railway line will be 264.6 kms. The completion period of the project will be five years.

The third line is an alternative route to the over-burdened existing line and this link will also open an alternative route to oversaturated Kharagpur Jharsuguda section Howrah-Mumbai Grand Trunk Route and Howrah-Chennai section main line of East Coast Railways.

Rayagada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha and Vizianagaram and Babbili districts of Andhra Pradesh will benefit from this project.

The section is oversaturated with present capacity utilisation of 106 per cent and there is a huge detention to rolling stock.

The Bina-Katni third line project under West Central Railway (WCR) was also approved at an estimated cost of Rs 2,478.23 crore and expected completion cost of Rs 2,917.06 crore in five years. The line will be 278.7 kms long.

Besides facilitating passenger travel, the thermal power plants in the area will get a third line for transportation.

It will also greatly ease the ever-increasing freight traffic between Bina-Katni section increasing the railways' earnings. Sagar, Damoh and Katni districts of Madhya Pradesh will benefit from this project, the ministry said.

The Bina-Katni is critical and busy section of WCR serving coal rakes for thermal power plants at Chhabra Gugur and Jhalawar in Rajasthan and paints, oils and lubricants (POL) traffic for Mahadevkhedi in Madhya Pradesh. At present, the capacity utilisation of the section is 136 per cent, the statement said.

Asked if the approved projects had been accounted for in the Rail Budget, Prabhu said, "Most of them are a mix, but some projects mentioned are with trans-budgetary support and some with extra-budgetary support."

The completion of these projects, he said, will be between three to five years but the time limits given are outer limits and the government will be able to complete the projects earlier.

Thanks to state and central Govt. for approving Junagarh-Ambaguda via Nabarangpur railway line

Odisha Gets Highest Allocation of Rs 4682 Crore in Rail Budget
The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), Feb 25, 2016

BHUBANESWAR: Centre today made the highest ever allocation of Rs 4682 crore for Odisha in the railway budget for 2016-17 and accepted some of the major demands  of the State by sanctioning Jeypore-Malkangiri and Jeypore-Nabarangpur railway line projects.   

The allocation for Odisha in 2016-17 is 30 percent more than Rs 3712 crore alloted for the state in 2015-16. Appreciating the enhancement of allocation for Odisha, chief minister Naveen Patnaik requested railway minister Suresh Prabhu not to revise this downwards like last year. Actual allotment was 35 percent less than the budget allotment for Odisha in 2015-16, he said.   

The Junagarh-Ambaguda railway line via Nabarangpur, Berhampur-Sambalpur and Banspani-Barbil railway line projects with partnership of the state government were also sanctioned in the budget. Besides, the railway minister also conceded one of the major demands of the state government by extending the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Kharagpur to Vijayawada through the coast of Odisha.  

Other new railway line projects sanctioned for Odisha include the Barsuan-Banspani, Bandamunda-Rourkela and Narayangarh-Bhadrak third line.   

The Khurda Road-Bolangir railway line project has received the highest allocation of Rs 240 crore compared to Rs 195 crore last year while the Haridaspur-Paradip railway line project has got allocation of `200 crore against Rs 36.8 crore in 2015-16.   

Allocations for other projects include Daitari-Banspani (Haridaspur-Jakhapura third line)-Rs 12.87 crore, Talcher-Bimlagarh-Rs 150 crore, Bhadrak-Nirgundi (3rd line)- Rs 135 crore, Jarapada-Budhapank (3rd &4th line)-Rs 200 crore, Budhapank-Salegaon-Rs 170 crore and Angul-Duburi-Sukinda Road-Rs 150 crore and Jaleswar-Digha-Rs 2 crore.   

Besides, provisions for different doubling projects have also increased substantially. While Rs 220 crore has been alloted for doubling of 174.11 kilometer Sambalpur-Talcher railway line, Rs 419 crore has been provided for 182.11 kilometer Sambalpur-Titlagarh railway line doubling project.   Provision for other doubling projects include Delang-Puri-Rs 8 crore, Banspani-Daitari-Tomka-Jakhapura-Rs 241 crore, Rajathagarh-Baranga-Rs 1 crore, Viazianagaram-Sambalpur-225 crore and Koraput-Singapur Road-Rs 39 crore. However, a token allotment of Rs 1 lakh has been made for 12 kilometer Cuttack-Barang doubling project.   

An allocation of Rs 12.5 crore has been made for Brundamal-Jharsuguda fly over for joining downline while Rs 10 crore has been allocated for Khurda Road-Vizianagaram bypass.   

The East-West rail corridor will connect Odisha through Bondamunda-Rourkela-Jharsuguda and Brajraj Nagar stations while the East Coast Rail Corridor will connect Odisha through Jaleswar-Balasore-Bhadrak-Cuttack-Bhubaneswar-Khurda Road-Berhampur stations.  

Pardip will get special connectivity under all India scheme to connect important ports of the country. Besides, Puri will also developed as a national centre for religious rail tourism and connected with other pilgrim centres of the country.

Patriotic Fervour Marks I-Day Celebration

The New Indian Express, Aug 17, 2015

ROURKELA: Patriotic fervour marked the 69th Independence Day celebration by various Government and non-Government organisations in Sundargarh district on Saturday.

At Uditnagar parade ground of Rourkela city, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (North) NBS Rajput hoisted the Tricolour. As many as 70 contingents of OSAP, APR, Civil Defence, NCC, Scout and Guide, Red Cross and civilian troops participated in the parade.

Among others, IGP (WR) RK Sharma, Rourkela ADM K Sudershan Chakravorty and Rourkela SP Anirudh Singh were present.

After hoisting the National Flag at the district headquarters town Sundargarh, Collector Bhupendra Singh Poonia called for concerted efforts to fight against poverty, illiteracy, inequality and superstitions in the society. Around 32 contingents participated in the march past.

The celebration by Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) at Ispat Stadium was marked by patriotic fervour and pageantry. RSP CEO GS Prasad unfurled the Tricolour, inspected the parade and took the salute at an impressive march past by 84 contingents.

Prasad exhorted all to take pledge to work towards making Rourkela a dream destination for all and to contribute towards the growth of the State and nation.

Bhawanipatna: Commerce and Transport Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi hoisted the National Flag at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium here on the occasion of Independence Day. Addressing the gathering, Majhi recalled the sacrifices of tribal freedom fighters including martyr Rindo Majhi of Kalahandi who sacrificed his life in 1855. “We have to go a long way to fulfil the dreams of our freedom fighters and meet the aspirations of people.” 

The Minister also distributed awards to winners of ceremonial parade and students securing highest marks in different examinations in the district.

Jharsuguda: The Independence Day was celebrated all over the district with patriotic fervour. At a function organised at Manmohan School Ground, Minister of State for Textiles, Handloom and Handicrafts Snehangini Churia hoisted the Tricolour and took the guard of honour in presence of Collector Parmeshwaran B and SP Umashankar Dash.

The toppers of Class X and Plus II of the district were awarded. Five schools were also felicitated with Prakruti Mitra award for outstanding contribution in plantation. A blood donation camp was also organised on the occasion. The Day was also celebrated on Ib Thermal Power Station, TRL Krosaki and Vedanta premises.

Nayagarh: Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda called upon the people to work hard and contribute towards the growth of the country here on Saturday on the occasion of Independence Day.

The Minister took the guard of honour in a colourful march past by 48 contingents comprising police, Homeguards, NCC and students of schools and colleges. Collector HK Padhi, SP Manoranjan Mohanty and DIPRO Pramod Kumar Nayak were present.

Panda also felicitated the freedom fighters of the district. Blood donation camps were organised by Rotary Club of Nayagarh.

Paradip: The Independence Day was celebrated at Paradip Refinery Project with Executive Director Ramjee Ram unfurling the National Flag at Refinery Sports Complex.  He also inspected the parade by CISF, DGR Security and students of Delhi Public School.

On the occasion, Pratibha Samman and Samuhik Upalabdhi Puraskar were given. Scholarships were awarded to 41 students of 13 schools under six panchayats. CISF contingent of Paradip Refinery presented a demonstration on weapons, security procedures and practices.

Jagatsinghpur: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Bijayshree Routray unfurled the National Flag in the town and spoke on the contributions of freedom fighters like Nabakrushna Chaudhury, Gopabandhu Das, Malati Chaudhury and Rama Devi. He also highlighted welfare schemes of the State Government for the poor and weaker sections of the society.

Around 30 contingents participated in parade and students of different schools performed cultural shows on the occasion. Collector Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, SP Sudha Singh, ADM Saran Kumar Jena and Sub Collector Narahari Sethi were present.

Koraput: Despite Maoist threat, the Independence Day was celebrated in the district with Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das hoisting the Tricolour at Koraput Police Ground. Over 500 participants of different educational institutions joined the parade. Collector VJ Kumar and SP CS Meena were present.

At Jeypore, Sub-Collector Puma Tudu hoisted the National Flag and took the guard of honour.

The day was also celebrated in Narayanpatana, Bandhugam, Laxmipur, Boipariguda, Nandapur, Semiliguda, Potangi and Lamataput blocks where the Maoists had called for boycott of Independence Day celebration.

Dhenkanal: In his Independence Day speech here, Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak highlighted development schemes and welfare programmes of the State Government.

He unfurled the National Flag at Main Stadium. Collector Roopa Roshan Sahoo and SP Nikhil Kumar Kanodia were present.  

Sambalpur: Inauguration of electronic surveillance system for monitoring operations marked the celebration of Independence Day at Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) headquarters here on Saturday. The surveillance system was inaugurated by CMD of MCL AN Sahay after the colourful parade.

Chief Vigilance Officer Deepak Srivastava briefed about the operations of e-surveillance system. Director (Technical/Operations) AK Tiwari, Director (Technical/Projects and Planning) JP Singh and Director (Finance) KK Parida were present.

Biju Expressway to Bridge Economic Divide

The New Indian Express, July 12, 2015

BHUBANESWAR:  In order to improve communication between North and South-West Odisha, the State Government has decided to launch Biju Expressway, one of the projects announced by the BJD during 2014 election, with a project cost of Rs 3,630 crore.

The expressway will connect major towns and commercial centres of the regions. While the northern part of Western Odisha is economically developed, south remains backward due to lack of connectivity. However, the project cost of the expressway, which was Rs 3,200 crore last year, has now increased to Rs 3,630 crore.

The proposed expressway, measuring 650 kms, will start at Chandli (border village in Koraput district) and touch border towns/market centres such as Borriguma, Ambapani, Gadbhanga, Dharmagarh, Sinapalli, Bhella, Nuapada, Paikamal, Padampur, Sohela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh before ending at Rourkela.

As per a decision of the State Government, 307 kms of the total length would be developed into four lane standard while the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will develop another 183 kms.

The 160-km road from Sambalpur to Rourkela (SH-10) will be made four lane through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Official sources maintained that the expressway will improve road communication in four KBK districts (Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada) and four Western Odisha districts (Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh).

Besides, it will connect these areas with important towns of Chhattisgarh including Jagdalpur, Raipur, Raigarh and Ranchi. The road is expected to cope with the increased traffic intensity due to growth in agriculture, mining, industrial, educational and commercial activities. Official sources claimed that on completion, the road will also provide better accessibility to tackle law and order situation in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) areas.

BSNL to invest in Odisha, launches WiFi zone at Puri

Moneycontrol, July 9, 2015
State-run BSNL will invest Rs 830 crore for improving services in Odisha and half of that amount will be spent on the broadband network in the current financial year, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Thursday.

State-run BSNL will invest Rs 830 crore for improving services in Odisha and half of that amount will be spent on the broadband network in the current financial year, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Thursday. Inaugurating wifi hotspot zone created by BSNL at Lord Jagannath Temple, Prasad said: "During the current financial year a project outlay of Rs 830 crore has been earmarked for BSNL Odisha for various projects including the Rs 400 crores earmarked for NOFN (National Optical Fibre Network)." The launch is part of government project to provide wifi service at historical monuments. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state minister Pranab Prakash Das were also present at the function. The wifi facility has been created by BSNL with the optical fiber backbone which can provide backhaul broadband bandwidth of up to 100 MB per second. BSNL will provide free Wi-Fi service for 30 minutes per 24 hours, limited to three times in a month, which visitors can utilise in multiple sessions. "After free usage limit of 30 minutes is exhausted, a customer can continue using the service on paid basis for which subscription plans are available in the denomination of Rs 30, Rs 50, Rs 90 and Rs 150 for validity of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes and one day respectively," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said. BSNL has already extended similar wifi facility in the world famous Sun Temple, Konark, in Odisha. "In the initial phase already 12,500 lines have been replaced and during 2015-16, 12,750 lines have been planned to be installed," Prasad said. He also inaugurated a new BSNL building at Bhubaneswar which has been constructed at a project cost of approximately Rs 17 crore. Prasad further said that BSNL is replacing 30 years old switching technology with the latest Next Generation Network (NGN) technology. The minister mentioned that BSNL plans to commission 372 2G mobile sites and 193 3G BTS (mobile towers). Under the NOFN project, BSNL has plans to cover 3,369 village panchayats in 167 blocks this fiscal. Shrivastava said it will cover 15 revenue districts: Boudha, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajpati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Kendujhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanja, Nayagarh and Puri. 

Food processing in Odisha lagging behin

The Hindu, June 9, 2015

 Inadequate post-harvest handling, processing and storage infrastructure and non-availability of processable varieties of raw materials over a long longer period are factors which are preventing Odisha from achieving double-digit growth in the food processing sector.

An analysis, conducted by the State government following the discontinuance of National Mission on Food Processing (NMFP) from April 1 this year, says that given the potential of the State, augmenting the growth of food processing from 0.7 per cent to 10 per cent by 2017 and 25 per cent by 2025 is possible.

The total agricultural crop production in Odisha has nearly doubled from 46.32 lakh metric tonne in 2002-03 to 87.47 lakh MT in 2009-10. Food production has witnessed an upward trend in production since 2002-03 at 35.55 lakh MT to reach 75.51 lakh MT in 2009-10.

Although Odisha is the country’s leading producer of rice, pulses, vegetables, oilseeds, cotton, groundnut, coconut, jute, spices, potato and fruits, the agro and food processing industry in Odisha is at a nascent stage under the unorganised private sector, it states.

Besides, the food processing sector still remains largely untapped because of high packing costs, cultural preference for fresh food, seasonality of raw materials, lack of adequate infrastructural facilities and quality control mechanism.

“As a result, there is a need to diversify the sector by fully harnessing its potentialities, providing greater incentives as well as creating conducive environment for more investments and exports,” according to the analysis.

According to a government estimate, as of 2013-14, Odisha had approximately 27,284 enterprises engaged in the food and allied sectors generating over 1.47 lakh employment opportunities with an investment of more than Rs. 1,557.86 crore.

Under NMFP from 2012-13 to 2014-15, the food processing industries were assisted with Rs. 11.97 crore and one infrastructure project for conducting a diploma course in food processing technology and seven food processing training centres were supported.

The Capital City has attracted highest investment in the sector by receiving investment to the tune of Rs. 163 crore followed by Bargarh with Rs. 128.02 districts. Cuttack, Ganjam and Kalahandi districts received an investment of Rs. 100 crore each in the sector by end of 2013-14.

The study recommends setting up of an autonomous organisation on promotion of food processing industries and dedicated food processing cell in Directorate of Industries and District Industrial Centres.

Besides, research and development facilities at Orissa University of Agriculture Technology, Bhubaneswar and Centre Rice Research Institute, Cuttack should also be strengthened.

Odisha, Centre cross swords on river inter-linking issue

Odisha Times, June 8, 2015
 With the Centre rigid with its proposal for interlinking of river Mahanadi with river Godavari despite Odisha government’s objections, the Centre and the Odisha government are heading for a face-off.

Even more disturbing is the Centre’s decision to form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to expedite the project. What has surprised the Odisha government is the Centre’s haste for the project. The state government apart from voicing strong objections to the move has put forth several questions on it, sources close to the development revealed.

The Centre has simply made a presentation of the proposal for interlinking of rivers before the Chief Minister said Pradip Kumar Jena principal secretary Water Resources department adding neither has the Central government made any formal proposal for the project nor has the state government given its consent for the same. Rather the state government has opposed it and has sought clarifications from the Central government on it, he said.

Sources in the Water Resources department said the Centre has put forth two alternative proposals before the state government.

According to the first proposal two barrages will be constructed over the river Mahanadi at Manibhadra and Barmul and water will be stored in two areas Raula and Bag. With this project will submerge 23, 349 hectares of land. While at least 828 km length of canals will be dug up as part of the project 2, 31, 093 hectares of land will be irrigated and 849.3 MW of electricity will be generated.

The second alternative proposal proposes for construction of a barrage at Barmul and water will be stored at five places Bag, Salki, Raula, Khadago and Udanti. With this project will submerge 15,528 hectares of land. While at least 842 km of canals will be dug up as part of the project, 2, 31,093 hectares of land will be irrigated and 1039 MW of electricity generated.

However, both the proposals do not contain any facts on the quantum of forest land to be submerged due to the projects.

For flood control and containing of water scarcity the Central government has proposed for interlinking of Barmul-Rushikulya, Ib –Brahmani, construction of barrage on Nagavali-Rushikulya-Vamsadhara and construction of dam Anga, Ib and Upper Lanth.

Nonetheless, the state government has opposed the move and  has argued that river Mahanadi as such doesn’t have excess water.

The state government has said that in case of the project coming up at Barmul in Nayagarh district 12 villages will be submerged, 1000 hectares will be submerged in Raula area in Kalahandi district and on barrage or dam being constructed at Udanti in Nuapada district eight villages will be submerged. At least 1541 hectares of land will be submerged.

Similarly, 11 villages will be also submerged in Salko area in Boudh district.

Besides, for the Khadago project in Kandhamal district 19 villages, 32 villages for the Anga project in Bargarh  district , 26 villages for Ib project in Sundargarh district and 2 villages for the Upper Lanth project in Balangir district will be submerged.

It will be next to impossible to go for interlinking of rivers without resolving these issues.

The state government has said that the project should be gainful to those who will be displaced for the project. The interlinking canals should not affect any human habitation. The state government has told the Central government that it is prepared to consider the proposal provided cent percent financial assistance is provided for all the projects and are accorded national project status.

Though the Centre is yet to react on the stand of the state government, sources close to the development revealed that it is giving  top most priority to the interlinking of Mahanadi with Godavari in its list of things.

Road Map Laid for IT Sector Growth

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), June 8, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has prepared a road map for massive information technology (IT) programme to be implemented during the next four years with an investment of `2,355 crore.

The road map was discussed at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here. According to official sources, Odisha ranked 8th in IT exports with software export of `2,400 crore in 2013-14 which was a 20 per cent increase over 2012-13.

Establishment of an Electronic Manufacturing Cluster over 215 acres of land at Infovalley, signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) with m2i International and setting up of a Semi-conductor Characterisation Laboratory at IIIT in Bhubaneswar are on the cards to give the State’s IT sector further boost.

After Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Odisha will be the third State to develop an IT Investment Region (ITIR) over an area of 10,210 acres, 15 km from Bhubaneswar. The ITIR will have processing area of 4,300 acres to house all the IT, IT-Enabled Services (ITES), Electronic Home Monitoring (EHM), R and D centres which will create an employment opportunity of 2.37 lakh in the next five years.

There are also proposals to set up two more IT/ Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) parks, incubation centres and to create built-up space of 20 lakh sq ft, promoting skill development, innovation and training with finishing schools and implementation of Digital India Programme to improve service delivery.

One ESDM incubation centre with 50:50 partnership between State Government and Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) has been proposed to be set up at Bhubaneswar for promotion of ESDM start ups.

New IT companies like Cognizant, Capgemini, HCL, Accenture, IBM, Zensar and Mastek are being approached to make Bhubaneswar their next destination.  

While STPIs are functioning at Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Berhampur and Balasore, a proposal to set up six more STPIs at Angul, Sambalpur, Jajpur, Koraput, Bhawanipatna and Rayagada has been submitted to the Centre. The IT Department will soon submit a report to the Government on setting up a vision group for development of the sector in Odisha.

800 bridges planned in next 4 years

The Statesman, June 3, 2015

hief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday directed officers of the rural development department to construct 800 bridges under the Biju Setu Jojana programme over the next four years to improve the rural road connectivity in the state.

Reviewing the performance of the department, the CM fixed a target of 200 bridges over rivers and nallahs per year.  He also wanted the rural development department to take up at least  three road construction works in each assembly constituency under the ‘'Mukhya  Mantri  Sadak  Yojana'’ to connect villages with 100 or more population to meet the ambitious target of the state government to lay 20,000 km of road to connect 7535 habitats.

With regard to road sunder the PMGSY scheme, the CM noted that the flow of funds from the central government has been declining since last year. This has adversely affected the road laying work under the scheme, he observed. The chief minister said mega pipe water projects will be implemented in Nuapada, Kalahandi, Puri, Brahmagiri, Krishnaprasad and Ganjam.

At least one pipe water project in each panchayat should be completed during the current year, he stated. A master plan to complete rural road connectivity and provide drinking water in seven mineral rich districts – Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Angul, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Jaipur and Rayagada of the state will be formulated in two months time, said official sources who attended the review meeting.  Rural Development Minister Badrinaryan Patra said the completion of some projects were being delayed as the central government was not providing funds.

He informed that during 2014-15, the state government had already spent Rs 1678 crore against which the centre had provided only Rs 1052 crore. We are yet to receive  Rs 520 crore from the central government as 100 crore is the state share, he noted.

Mega Project to End Water Woes of Nuapada Soon

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), May 14, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will set up a mega drinking water project to address the perennial drinking water problem of Nuapada district,

The Rural Development department has floated tenders for the proposed project which is estimated to cost `752 crore. The Finance department has given its concurrence. The project will be financed by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).

This will be the second mega project in the country after Tamil Nadu. The project will be implemented on turnkey basis through EPC (engineering, procurement & construction) contract. The EPC contractor will run and maintain the project for five years after completion, Principal Secretary of Rural Development department Pradipta Mohapatra said.

Water for the mega drinking water project will be drawn from four sources, including Patora dam. About 905 villages of Nuapada district and Golamunda block of Kalahandi district will be benefited from the project, he said.

A water treatment plant will be set up to purify the water sourced from four dams and one overhead tank will be constructed in every three-four panchayats for supply of water though pipe to each household.

A budgetary provision of `150 crore has been made for the first year and the project is targeted for completion within 36 months, he said. As ground water in large parts of Nuapada district is affected with high fluoride content, the department has made interim arrangements for providing safe drinking water to the affected villages till the completion of the project.

While the permissible limit of fluoride in water is 0.5 to 1 mg per litre, as per a survey done by Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS), the groundwater in Boden has 1.5-3 mg fluoride content per litre.

Of the total affected villages, 305 villages are being supplied with water through pipes while the remaining 600 meet their requirement from tube wells. As many as 5,023 villages in the State are facing quality water problem and the department has decided to cover these villages under pipe water supply on a priority basis.

Biju Expressway Yet to Cut Through 'Red' Tape

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), May 11, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: Even nine months after launching of the Rs  3,200 crore Biju Expressway aimed at connecting the four districts of Odisha, including Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and Sundargarh, with four KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) districts namely Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada, preliminary work is yet to be started. The project has assumed significance in view of the increasing Maoist activities in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

Official sources said that as field survey and identification of projects already awarded on the same route are yet to be completed, preliminary work on the 656 km long Expressway project is yet to be started.

The programme was launched with much fanfare by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in August last year. However, only a token Rs 30 crore has been provided for the project in the 2015-16 budget. The project was an election promise of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Though the Expressway project is 656-km long, widening of road is already going on in the same route on 234 km stretch by various departments, out of 254 km identified for the first phase expansion.

L&T has undertaken four-laning of road from Rourkela to Sambalpur (160 km) through public-private partnership (PPP) mode and work for four-laning of Sambalpur to Sohella road via Bargarh (74 km) is being funded by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

In the first phase, 254 km of the corridor would be converted into four lanes and the rest 402 km widened to two lanes at a cost of Rs 1,471 crore. In the second phase, 258 km would be made four lanes at a cost of Rs  1,729 crore.

Official sources said that the first phase of the project is expected to be completed by May 2017 while the second phase is scheduled to be completed by May, 2020.

 Both the State and the Centre would bear the cost of the project, estimated at Rs 3,200 crore. For the Rourkela-Sambalpur road widening project, the State Government will spend Rs 256 crore. However, in the changed scenario arising out of the cut in Central assistance for different projects, the project has remained uncertain.

 The corridor is aimed at connecting border towns like Chandli, Boriguma, Nabarangpur, Papadahandi, Ambapani, Dharmagarh, Sinapali, Nuapada, Paikamal, Padampur, Sohella, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundagarah and Rourkela.

Continue Funds for Key Plans, State Plea to Centre

The New Indian Express, May 4, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has requested the Centre to provide Rs 3,000 crore to continue implementation of several key programmes which will face shortage of funds in the coming days due to reduction in Central assistance. Besides, it has also asked the Centre to continue funding of area specific development (ASD) plans which are being implemented in backward and Naxal-affected areas of the State.

The ASD plans include special scheme for KBK (undivided Koraput, Balangir and Kalahandi districts) region, Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) and Integrated Action Plan (IAP).

The Centre’s decision to delink eight schemes from Central support and change the sharing pattern of 33 Centrally-sponsored schemes will substantially reduce the quantum of Central assistance in 2015-16. The State Government will have to provide funds from its own resources for sector specific and State specific programmes which were recommended by the Thirteenth Finance Commission (TFC). However, the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) has not recommended any grants for sector and State specific programmes.

 The loss on account of reduction in Central assistance will be about Rs 8,037.26 crore. The State Government will receive an additional Rs 5,883.43 crore on account of the 10 per cent more devolution of funds recommended by the FFC. The additional liability of the State Government will be Rs 2148.83 crore in 2015-16.

 In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said delinking area development programmes like KBK, BRGF and IAP from Central assistance will severely affect development programmes taken up in Maoist-affected districts.

This will have an adverse impact on the socio-economic development of some of the most vulnerable and backward regions of the State, he said.

The Chief Minister has also taken up the issue of loss of Rs 1,700 crore per year from the current financial year for deferment of VAT on petroleum products for 11 years after commissioning of the oil refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Paradip. The State Government is exploring a suitable mechanism to minimise loss in this regard in consultation with the Centre.

However, the revenue loss will continue till some alternative mechanism is in place.

Govt to bring backward areas of Odisha, NE on rail map

Business Standard, April 30, 2015
The government today said it was committed to bring the backward areas in Odisha and Northeastern states in the railway map. 

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told Rajya Sabha said that his ministry is working with Odisha government through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) and five projects would be taken up under it. 

"Through SPV involving the ministries of railways, coal and Odisha government, we would be carrying out five projects at an investment of Rs. 3689 crore. We would be covering 731 kilometres through the process," he said. 

He was replying to a Private Member Resolution on various railway issues connected with Odisha, which was moved by BJD member Bhupinder Singh, but was withdrawn later. 

The Minister further said that over Rs. 41,000 crore worth of railway projects were sanctioned for Odisha. 

Sinha also promised to bring the rail density in Odisha on par with the national average. 

He lamented about "politics" of granting rail stoppages, saying it leads to reduction in the speed of trains, including Rajdhani Express. 

Requests for only valid stoppages would be approved in the future, he said. 

Earlier, moving the private members' resolution, Bhupinder Singh said even after 67 years of independence, many districts of the country have not yet been connected with railway lines. He noted that seven districts of Odisha have no railway line. 

Demanding more railway connectivity and facilities in Odisha, Singh said about 10 per cent of the total revenue of the railways has been contributed by the state during 2013-14. 

Satyanarayan Jatiya (BJP), Narendra Kumar Kashyap (BSP), Kanak Lata Singh (SP), E M Sudarsana Natchipappan (Congress), Dilip Kumar Tirkey (BJD), Chaudhary Munnavver Saleem (SP) and A V Swamy (Independent) spoke on the resolution.

Centre Favors Coast Highway

Tathya.in, April 13, 2015

Union Minister Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari has agreed to approve the Coastal Highway in Odisha connecting Gopalpur to Digha. This will be one of the longest Coastal Road of 460 Kilometers, connecting two neighboring states-Odisha and West Bengal.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while meeting the Union Minister Mr.Gadkari today, proposed for the Coastal Highway, Union Minister said this project will be taken up under Bharat Mala Program.

 

Chief Minister Mr.Patnaik said the Coastal Highway will be connecting several existing and upcoming Ports including Gopalpur, Astarang, Paradeep, Kirtania, Chandipur, forming the economic lifeline will have better Rate Of Return.

 

Chief Minister said that the state is prone to frequent Super/ Very Severe Cyclonic Storms and it is necessary to have a good Coastal Highway for efficient rescue and relief operations in the cyclone-prone coastal areas. He stated that these areas are also thickly populated and a Coastal Highway will provide alternative economic opportunities to the local population.

 

Mr.Patnaik said that the existing Road Network in the tribal nominated districts of Odisha which suffer on account of Left Wing Extremism including Gajapati, Rajagada, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir and Bargarh requires urgent upgradation to  National Highway standard.

 

He  urged the Union Minister to declare Kuakhia-Jajpur-Aradi-Bhadrak and Cuttack-Kandarpur-Jagatsinghpur-Machhanga State Roads as new National Highways. Chief Minister also requested that Palasa-Paralakhemundi-Muniguda-Bhawanipatna-Rajkhariar-Padmapur

 

State Road Network may also be upgraded to National Highway. Chief Minister informed that the existing two lane carriage way inside the town limits of many towns are not adequate to cater to the present volume of traffic and these stretches face severe traffic congestion during the day time and are prone to accidents causing frequent road block agitations.

 

He stated that three new By-Passes including one near Bhawanipatna on NH-26, near Kotpad on NH-63 and near Manamunda on NH-57 are essentially required to address the problem.

 

Chief Minister brought to the notice of the Union Minister that the work on Gurupriya Bridge has already started under Engineering, Procurement and Construction Mode.

He stated that Government of India has, however, sanctioned only Rs.45 crore for the project under RRP-I of LWE Scheme against the project cost of Rs.187.25 crore.

 

The Chief Minister highlighted that the bridge is critical for connecting cut-off areas of Malkangiri district to the mainland, improving communication between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and more importantly for preventing spread of Left Wing Extremism.

 

He impressed upon the Union Minister to approve and sanction the balance amount of Rs.142.25 crore under RRP-II for ensuring timely completion of the bridge.  

Chief Minister mentioned that the improvement work on a number of important National Highways in the State has not started because PPP mode tenders have not been successful.

 

He urged the Union Minister to take up the improvement work of these National Highways, viz. Cuttack-Angul (NH-55), Angul-Sambalpur (NH-55), Sambalpur-Deogarh (NH-53), Deogarh-Keonjhar-Jamsola (NH-49), Balasore-Baripada-Jharpokharia (NH-18) and Birmitrapur-Rourkela-Barkote (NH-143) under Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode.

 

Highlighting the need to keep the National Highways in traffic-worthy condition, the Chief Minister urged upon the Union Minister to provide adequate funds of at least Rs.25 crore during the current year under Ordinary Repair. He stated that during the last year, the allocation of Rs.14.39 crore fell far short of the minimum requirement of Rs.30 crore.

 

Union Minister assured the Chief Minister that all the proposals will receive priority attention of the Union Government and that all efforts will be made to connect the remaining two districts of Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur with the National Highway Network and to construct new By-Passes wherever required and feasible.

 

He also assured that the proposal for construction of a Coastal Highway in Odisha will be taken up under Bharat Mala Scheme. He further assured that all By-Passes where regular tenders have failed will be approved for execution under EPC Mode

Land Hurdle Continues to Delay Khurda-Balangir Railway Line

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), April 4, 2015

BOUDH: The successful trial run of trains in a stretch of 32-km on Khurda Road-Balangir line on August 31 last year had raised hopes of completion of the project soon. But, the project continues to hang fire with land acquisition posing as a major hurdle.

The railway line which will pass through Khurda, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur and Balangir districts would require construction of 11 tunnels measuring 6.3 km, around 435 bridges including a 660-metre bridge over river Tel besides culverts and other constructions.

Though the State Government had assured the Centre of providing the land free of cost, the acquisition process for the 289-km rail line has hit a road block.

As yet, only land for laying train tracks on 22 kms has been acquired in Balangir district while not a single inch of land has been acquired in Boudh district which has a lion’s share of 122 kms. However, in neighbouring Nayagarh district, land has been acquired from Raj Sunakhala to Nayagarh.

After connecting Khurda Road with Begunia in the first phase, work on the 46-km stretch to Raj Sunakhala was to be completed by March 31 this year and the 66-km stretch till Nayagarh has 2015-16 financial year deadline. But meeting the deadline now seems to be remote considering the slow pace of work.

As per official reports, the budget of the project which was estimated at `4.98 crore after the initial survey has shot up to a staggering `2,000 crore as it witnessed low budgetary provisions in Central Budgets and issues of land acquisition.

The rail link was first surveyed in 1945 by the then Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR) administration which found the route important as it connected most backward undivided districts of Balangir, Kalahandi, Koraput and Phulbani with Bhubaneswar. Smaller towns such as Daspalla, Banigochha, Manipur and Boudh were also part of the line.

Ring Roads in Capital, 3 Major Towns Soon

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), March 27, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to ease traffic congestion in the city and three other major towns, the State Government has planned to develop four ring roads in the coming financial year.

Apart from the ring road project in Capital region, three more ring roads will be constructed in the district headquarters towns of Balangir, Sambalpur and Berhampur of Ganjam district, Rural Development Minister Badri Narayan Patra told the Assembly.

Replying to the discussion on demands for grants of Works Department on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Patra said five by-pass roads will also be constructed at Manmunda in Boudh district, Kothar in Bhadrak district, Mangapur and Jajpur in Jajpur district and Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters town of Kalahandi.

The Capital region ring road project has been envisioned to reduce traffic congestion on NH-5 passing through Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The proposed ring road will originate at Manguli and connect with Khurda through NH-42 (Cuttack-Puri road). The road would bypass Athagarh, Banki and Khurda to connect the NH-5 at Kodarmal, about 5 km from Khurda town, official sources said.

Though feasibility study for the road project was completed in 2011, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways approved the proposal recently, sources said.

Patra further informed the House that six flyover bridges will be constructed in the State Capital. The proposed flyovers will be constructed at Master Canteen square, Damana chowk, Kalinga Hospital chowk, Housing Board, Kalpana Square and Mausima chowk. Besides, an underground road will be constructed at Rajmahal.

A budgetary provision of Rs 400 crore has been made under the State Highway Development Programme (SHDP). The State Government had approved development of 2,158.26 km of State Highways to two-lane with a cost of Rs 3,000 crore.

Cumulative action has been taken for two-laning of about 1,654 km of roads with a project cost of Rs 2,758.73 crore in 2014-15. The department had completed two-laning of 40.76 km of roads with an expenditure of Rs 162.16 crore, Patra said.

On the development of road infrastructure in five Left Wing Extremism-affected districts, the Minister said the Centre had sanctioned 14 projects for improvement of 615 km roads, including a bridge over river Gurupriya in Malkangiri district at an estimated cost of Rs 970 crore.

 While development of over 473 km of roads has been completed with an expenditure of Rs 668.11 crore, the bridge construction work is in progress.

Odisha gets Rs 2,514 cr in Rail Budget: No approval for Junagarh-Amaguda line

Business Standard, Feb 26, 2015
The allocation for the state in the current Rail Budget is 77.04% higher than Rs 1,420 cr received in 2014-15
Odisha has received an allocation of Rs 2,514.07 crore in the 2015-16 Railway Budget against its demand of Rs 3,200 crore.

The allocation for the state in the current Rail Budget is 77.04 per cent higher than Rs 1,420 crore received in 2014-15.

The Rail Budget has earmarked Rs 6,08.3 crore for construction of new railway lines in the state, including sizeable allocation for key railway links. This is against the state's demand for Rs 1,470 crore towards new rail link projects.

The Budgetary allocations for construction of new rail lines are Khurda Road-Bolangir (Rs 195 crore), Angul-Duburi-Sukinda Road (Rs 75 crore), Haridaspur-Paradip (Rs 36.8 crore), Talcher-Bimalagarh (Rs 280 crore). Other new railway link projects like Kendujhar-Badamapahar, Jeypore-Nabrangpur, Puri-Konark and Lanjigarh-Junagarh have been deprived of allocations.

For doubling and third line project, the Railways ministry have alloted Rs 1,527.8 crore, higher than the state's demand of Rs 945 crore. Funds have been allocated for projects like Banspan-Daitari-Jakhapura (Rs 513 crore), Samblapur-Titlagarh (Rs 470 crore), Sambalpur-Talcher (Rs 194 crore), Bhadrak-Nirgundi third line (Rs 125 crore) and Delang-Puri (Rs 100 crore).

Electrification projects have been allocated Rs 293.38 crore, greater than the state's demand of Rs 210 crore. The Budget has set aside Rs 137.88 crore for Vizianagram-Rayagada-Titlagarh-Raipur project, Rs 100 crore for Jharsuguda-Sambalpur-Titlagarh and Rs 55 crore for Sambalpur-Angul electrification projects.

For traffic facilities and goods sheds in Odisha, the state had demanded an allocation of Rs 200 crore in the Budget. This included Rs 150 crore towards development of goods sheds at Rourkela, Bhadrak, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Titlagarh, Khariar, Kesinga, Rayagada, Jeypore, Korapur, Rairakhol, Angul, Dhenkanal, Nirgundi, Mancheswar, Khurda and Jaganathpur and the rest Rs 50 crore for development of multi modal logistics parks at Kalinga Nagar (Jajpur), Angul, Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Choudwar. However, there is no allocation under this head

To upgrade passenger amenities at all stations in the state, the Budget has allocated Rs 20.32 crore.

Odisha's Bhawanipatna enlisted in Smart City scheme, says Pushpendra Singh Deo

Note:  Thanks a lot to Sri Pushpendra Singh Deo, whom we had sent a personal message saying nothing wrong in trying and appealed him to at least include Bhawanipatna in the list of smart cities proposal by the state. Hope central Govt. will take it positively.

Orissadiary, Feb 19, 2015
Report by Rajeev Lochan Rathan; Bhubaneswar: Housing & Urban Development Minister Pushpendra Singh Deo said on the golden jubilee of Mahaveer Sankrutika Anusthan Bhawanipatna in Rabindra Madapa here that the Odisha Government has proposed Centre to include also Bhawanipatna beside other six town of the state in the Smart City scheme. “We are proposing Bhawanipatna including with other six cities with corporations- Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur for inclusion in the Smart City scheme,” said the Minister. Notably, the central government had announced a plan to develop 100 smart cities to endow with better facilities in urban areas. The smart cities will include all the state capitals and union territories. The high-power expert committee on investment approximates the annual fund requirement for smart cities will be Rs.35000 crore as the estimate coats water supply, sanitation and transport-related infrastructure. The scheme ensures 24×7 service on water supply and power supply, 100 per cent household with direct water supply connections and access to toilets and 100 per cent schools, Colleges with separate toilets facilities for girls. Every household shall have a telephone connection including mobile, Wi-Fi connectivity - See more at: http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=57397#sthash.5mqrvTRU.dpuf

Justifications for Rail Network in KBK region

Lanjigarh road-Amaguda route

Kalahandi-Balangir- Koraput (KBK) region in Odisha is a multi-facet backward region due to hilly backwardness, tribal populated backwardness and backward due to natural calamities. Similar backward regions in India like North Eastern States have received special treatment by railway board where as KBK region has been neglected since decades. Even hilly region like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand have received special package in railway by Govt. of India. Many of the railway projects in North Easter states have been declared as national project. Coincidentally, for irrigation projects KBK region is considered long with North Eastern states by the central Government. Nevertheless, railway projects in KBK region have not received any special treatment as national projects. Naxal activities are predominantly high in KBK region due to poor communication and poor infrastructure. It is also important to note that railway infrastructure in Odisha and Chhatisgarh is substantially low compared to national average despite both the states are in the profit making zones, where as railway infrastructure in Bihar and West Bengal are remarkably high though they are in the loss making zones. East Coast Railway Zone is one of the larger profit-making zones, and a large portion of this profit comes from Kothavalasa-Kirandul (KK) line passing through KBK region. In this KK line, railway lines between Koraput-Kothavalasa is e-special category railway route where many tunnels and high-level bridges are present, which limits the speed to less than 50 kmph. At the same time number of wagon can’t exceed 30 during mineral transportations in these this routes. Similarly, other possible railway route, Koraput-Rayagada is also e-special category railway route having many tunnels and high-level bridges. Thus, a new route that will increase the speed limit and number of wagon during mineral transportation from Jagdalpur (Chhatisgarh) to Visakhapatnam is needed. In fact, in 1962-63 it was pointed out in the parliament that Mr. Parkers had done a railway line survey from Kesinga to Nabarangpur to join Kothavalasa-Kirandul (KK) line. Subsequently, in 1990-91 Amabguda-Lanjigarh road railways line was proposed to make mineral transportation from Kirandul to Visakhapatnam faster and easier.  In 1991, Lanjigarh road-Junagarh line was approved and this 56 km line took 25 years to get completed due to negligence by railway ministry. At the same time survey of Junagarh-Ambaguda portion of this route has been completed, but this portion of this route has not yet been approved. There are other industrial proposals in this region, which will be benefited from the proposed railway route. Therefore, Junagarh-Amaguda line should be immediately approved and completed.

Lanjigarh road-Talcher route or Kharagpur-Bhadrachalam road route

Proposed Lanjigarh road - Phulbani – Talcher railway route is another important rail network in KBK-Kandhamal region, which is under survey. This line will connect Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Titilagarh (Balangir dist), Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts with Bhubaneswar (Odisha’s state capital) by joining with Khurda-Balangir line near Boudh. This will not only bring first time railway network to Kandhamal district but also make accessible to large part of inaccessible KBK and Kandhamal region from the state capital directly. Beside that this line will facilitate alumina/coal transportation for NALCO from its refinery in Damajodi to its Smelter in Angul by reducing distance about 100 km. Other industries like Utkal alumina, Vedanta alumina (now Sesa Sterlite) etc in this region will also be benefited. Most importantly, Howrah-Chennai route has been congested and a route via Kharagpur, Baripada, Talcher, Lanjigarh road, Junagarh, Nabarangpur, Jeypore, Malkangiri, Bhadrachalam road and Vijaywada will not only decongest the route but also bring development to many tribal dominated districts of the nation. The proposed route also makes another possible route to connect Hyderabad directly with Ranchi and Patna (via Titlagarh-Junagarh) or Kolkata (via Baripada-Lanjigarh road-Bhadrachalam road). Thus, Lanjigarh road - Phulbani – Talcher line should be immediately approved for construction.

Raipur-Lanjigarh road-Gopalpur port route

This Lanjigarh road – Berhampur-Gopalpur line along with Raipur-Rajim-Junagarh will make direct connection between Nagpur/Bhilai and Gopalpur via Raipur. This route will make access South East Asian countries from Raipur, Bhilai, Nagpur and central India via Gopalpur port. This will further reduce distance between Gopalpur port and Nagpur and make Gopalpur port as competitive as Mumbai port from Nagpur or central India region. At the same time it will bring railway infrastructure to the Maoist and tribal dominated region and connect Behrampur, Kalahandi and Debhog (Raipur) region with Raipur and Nagpur. Survey work of Raipur - Rajim - Debhog - Junagarh is almost complete and this route should be approved immediately. This will also establish a direct connection between Raipur and Talcher along with Talcher-Lanjigarh road route. Similarly, new survey should be done for Lanjigarh road-Gopalpur railway line to directly connect Bhilai steel plant with Gopalpur port. Beside social development in KBK-Kandhamal-Ganjam region, this line may be exploited commercially by many steel, iron and coal plants in Bhilai and Raipur regions to connect with Gopalpur port as well as coal rich Talcher/Angul region.

KBK line covering 5 KBK districts

Similarly, Kantabanji-Jeypore railway route will connect Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput. It will also help in directly connecting Koraput with Raipur region. The route has been surveyed and should be immediately approved.