Kosal Discussion and Development Forum

Odisha CM seeks railway package: western Odisha neglected again

December 31, 2011 at 8:48 am sanjibkarmee 10 comments

This is a good step by the government. However, CM has neglected western Odisha again. Following things should be demanded for the betterment of western Odisha:

• · Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Rourkela should be upgraded to World Class railway station status
• · Completion of Khurdha-Balangir railway line
• · Connect Bhawanipatna-BBSR by rail
• · Bargarh-Nuapada (via Padampur) railway line
• · Connect Harishankar and Narsinghnath via rail line

State demands 12 new trains in railway budget

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has demanded 12 new trains in the 2012-13 Railway Budget.

The new trains are, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai/Pune, Puri-Jeypore/Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar-Bangalore, Puri/Bhubaneswar-Surat (all Duronto express), Rourkela-New Delhi, Keonjhar-Howrah, Barbil-Visakhapatnam via Keonjhar andBhubaneswar, Titlagarh-Bhubaneswar via Rayagada, Bhubaneswar-Shiridi daily express, passenger train service between Barbil-Puri and passenger service between Bhawanipatna-Bhubaneswar via Sambalpur.

 In a letter to Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also demanded increase of frequency of several trains following persistent demand from the travelling public. The trains are, Bhubaneswar-Kurla-Lokamanya Tilak express, Puri-Ahmedabad express via Sambapur, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani express, Puri-Patna Baidyanath express and Puri-Guwahati express.

 CuttackandBhubaneswarare being developed as twin cities and as per the comprehensive development plan prepared by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, the combined population will be 2.7 million by 2021.

 Stating that this will necessitate a mass rapid transit system (MRTS), Naveen said that this was the appropriate time to commence detailed planning for rail based city transport system in greaterBhubaneswarregion.

  Stating that the operationalisation of East Coast Railway (ECoR) has brought railway management closer to the people and problems of Odisha, the Chief Minister demanded extension of its jurisdiction to include Banspani-Padapahar section, Bhadrak-Laxmannath section inKhurda Roaddivision and Jharsuguda-Barasuan-Kiriburu, Rourkela-Nuagaon and Jharsuguda-Himagiri sections in Sambalpur division. Besides, appropriate functional reorganisation of ECoR will necessitate the creation of a new railway division atJajpur-Keonjhar Road, he said.

  The Chief Minister has demanded that the doubling work of Rayagada-Koraput and Kottavalsa-Kirandul broad gauge rail link should be sanctioned. He also said that the doubling work of Khurda Road-Puri link (phase-II), Raj Athgarh-Barang andBarang-Khurda Roadthird line should be expedited. These projects should be commissioned in 2012-13 with provision of enhanced budget, he said.

 He demanded the electrification of Talcher-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda, Sambalpur-Titlagarh and Koraput-Rayagada railway lines should be sanctioned. He requested that execution of world class station atBhubaneswarand Puri should be expedited. Railway stations at important district centres and major tourist destinations need special attention to provide multi-functional complexes and upgraded passenger amenities, he said.

 The Chief Minister also sought introduction of DMU services in Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela and Berhampur-Balasore corridors. He said that a new train service from Puri to Pune and Mumbai via Sambalpur and Titlagarh has become essential.

 Advocating for a self-sustainable and workable PPP initiatives in the coal and iron ore sectors, the Chief Minister has requested formulation of a suitable policy for attracting private investment in the development of dedicated rail corridors.

CM seeks Rs 2,345-cr rly package

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for provision of Rs  2,345-crore package in the 2012-13 Railway Budget for the development of railways in the State.

Patnaik, in a letter to the Prime Minister, has given a long list of proposals on development of railways in the State which had been neglected by successive Union Governments. He urged the Prime Minister to ask the Railways Minster to take necessary steps for allocating required funds for new as well as ongoing projects. Besides, he urged the Prime Minister to advise Ministry of Railways for strengthening of railway infrastructure in Odisha.

In his proposal, Patnaik has indicated some new lines, doubling of tracks, electrification, gauge conversion and passenger amenities.

Patnaik in his proposal has urged the Prime Minister to provide railway connectivity to all the ports within definite timeframe, besides declaring at least three railway projects with the status of National Projects and to convert theBhubaneswarand Puri railway station to world class stations.

Stating that Odisha continues to be one of the most preferred destinations for investment, especially in metal, mining and power sectors, he said the State Government was leveraging this opportunity to plan orderly, systematic and comprehensive economic growth by focusing upon infrastructure development and creating dedicated industrial corridors. The nature of industrial activities in the State requires a robust and well-planned railway infrastructure for its sustainability, Patnaik pointed out.

He said the Central Government had initiated many ambitious projects like dedicated freight corridor aligned with mega industrial hubs, national road express ways and high- speed train projects. But those projects appear to have completely bypassed Odisha although some of the country’s largest investments in the steel, aluminium and power sectors are coming up here.

Referring to the railway lines, he said the railway route length and rail density in Odisha was well below national average as also substantially lower than that in neighboring States. In his proposal, Patnaik requested the Ministry of Railways to put in place a time-bund infrastructure upgradation arrangement for the ports coming up on the Odisha coast. “A synchronised development plan between that of the ports and related rail connectivity is necessary for maximizing economic gains, he said. In this context, Patnaik said the eastern dedicated freight corridor fromLudhianato Dankuni should be extended to Brahmapur so as to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and the northern and central hinterlands of the country.

He proposed for construction of Bharachaam Road-Talcher rail link via Malkangiri, Jeypur, Lanjigarh, Sambalpur-Brahmapur new rail link via Phulbani and Rayagada-Gopalpur rail link via Bhismagiri.

Pointing out that survey for these lines have been sanctioned, he urged the Prime Minister to advise the Ministry of Railways to execute the projects on priority basis, treating these projects  as “National Projects”.

He also urged Singh to expedite execution of a World Class Station atBhubaneswarand holy pilgrimage town ofPuri. Similarly, the railway stations at important district centres and major tourist destinations need special attention to provide “multi-functional complexes” and upgraded passenger amenities. Besides, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack region which is planned as a mega urban complex also needs to have a rail-based urban transport system, he said.

Entry filed under: Balangir, Bargarh, Bargarh-Nuapada rail line, Boudh, Infrastructure, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Khurdha-Balangir rail line, Nuapada, Rail connectivity, Rail Wagon Factory, Kalahandi, Region watch, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Sundergarh.