ROURKELA: Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has blamed the Odisha government for delay in completion of Talcher-Bimlagarh rail line project.
In a written reply to Sundargarh MP Jual Oram, who had raised the issue in Lok Sabha on February 11, Goyal stated that the State government is yet to expedite land acquisition and handover 916 acre to the railways. He said work on the project can be started only after the land is given to the railways.
So far, work on the 20 km stretch till Sunakhani has been completed. The Minister said of the Rs 1,918 crore sanctioned for the project, Rs 839 crore has been spent till date. This apart, Rs 140 crore has been set aside for the 154 km rail project in the 2020-21 budget.