Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday wrote to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal demanding Shatabdi connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Rourkela via
Jharsuguda in the state. In a letter dated January 23, the Chief Minister said: “Though Odisha is a major contributor to the growth of Railways, it still continues without commensurate railway infrastructure and services. While Odisha is the biggest contributor of freight revenues, the passenger growth too has been much higher than the
national average.” as quoted by ANI.

He asserted that the connectivity with Bhubaneswar through Shatabdi would serve the genuine transportation demand of the people of these two cities. He added, ‘Therefore I request that a Shatabdi between Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela via Jharsuguda be introduced’.

Chief Minister in his letter to the Railway Minister also requested to modify the proposed route of Jaleswar to Digha railway line under South Eastern Railway. The 41-km Digha-Jaleswar broad gauge rail project was sanctioned by the ministry of railways in 2011-12. Seven km of the project is proposed to pass through West Bengal while the rest 34 km would pass through Balasore district.

He added, even after 7 years of the sanctioning, the project has not yet started. The chief minister said he had proposed a change in the alignment of the railway line in June 2011 to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The proposed change in line will pass through Odisha, touching various important spots like Bhusandheswar, Chandaneswar and Talsari-Udaypur beach. “Such a change of alignment will not only help develop tourism but also improve the socio-economic condition of the people of the region,” he cited.

Naveen requested Goyal to intervene and take an early decision to change the alignment.

READ: Piyush Goyal gets interim charge as Finance Minister in Arun Jaitley’s absence, likely to present an interim budget 

By talharashid

Part-time Traveler| Full-time Political Enthusiast | Foodie | Strong Believer of Freedom of Speech and Expressions!

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