Five New Railway Projects In Odisha Gets Centre's Nod

The railway ministry has approved five projects in Odisha which will be developed by Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), a joint venture company of the Odisha government (51%) and the Ministry of Railways (49%), Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha.

Vaishnaw said this while replying to a query posed by BJD MP Prashanta Nanda on the proposed railway projects awarded to Odisha.

The projects which have received the approval are Gopalpur-Rairakhol new line (270 km), Naraj Marthapur-Kaipadar Road new line bypassing Bhubaneswar (69.54 km), Banspani-Barbil new line (17.5 km), Bargarh-Nuapada new line (142 km) and Buramara-Chakulia new line (55 km).

While some of these projects are under development, some will get a go ahead after completion of traffic study and financial appraisal.

As far as the present status of these projects are concerned, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Gopalpur-Rairakhol project has been prepared and approved by the Board of ORIDL for further submission for sanction of the work, the Minister informed.

He said the DPR for Naraj Marthapur-Kaipadar Road project has been prepared and is under consideration of the Board of ORIDL.

The Railway Board has given in-principle approval for the Banspani-Barbil Project with a condition that 100% funding for this project should be done by State Government. The proposal for funding is under consideration by the Government of Odisha.

For Bargarh-Nuapada and Buramara-Chakulia projects, in-principle approval for pre-investment activities has been granted by Railway Board on December 31, 2021. Further action on these projects is being taken up by ORIDL.