BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of his visit to the State next week, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday assured BJP MPs from Odisha to expedite the projects under execution.Vaishnaw, who is coming on a three-day visit to the State beginning August 19, said he will take a review of projects during his tour and initiate necessary steps for expeditious completion of projects under implementation. “MPs of the BJP from Odisha met me and discussed several issues pertaining to railways in the State. We will work collectively to expedite the works on all projects in the State in a holistic manner,” Vaishnaw said after a meeting.
Kalahandi MP Basant Panda who led the delegation said, “We discussed all railway projects in the State and requested him to take those forward. The Minister assured us to work for the development of the State in a constructive manner.” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted that, “Progress of rail projects, passenger facilities and other related issues were also discussed.” The Narendra Modi government has all along been cooperative towards the development of railway infrastructure in Odisha, he added.
While six districts of the State have no railway networks to date, the rail network of the State is way behind the national average. Besides, the State has long-standing demands to bring some of the railway network of the State under East Coast Railway division. As per the tentative programme, Vaishnaw is expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar on August 19. After a visit to Puri, he is likely to board Hirakand Express for a rail ride to Rayagada, covering 500 km. This will be the first visit of Vaishnaw to Odisha after his induction into the Union Cabinet.