ROURKELA: Facing pressure from local leadership, the South Eastern Railway (SER) has finally hinted at completion of the stalled four-lane project.
Once materialised, the key four-lane road between BSNL office and Basanti Colony will connect the newly-constructed Rourkela railway station and will benefit about four lakh population.
Besides, it will ease vehicular traffic congestion at the railway station’s main entrance.
The SER seems to have changed its mind as it is unable to complete its third rail line project on Howrah-Mumbai main line at the Rourkela portion due to encroachment.
The ruling BJD led by Rourkela MLA and Sundargarh District Planning Committee chairman Sarada Prasad Nayak has been pressing the SER to allow completion of the four-lane project and rehabilitate those facing eviction for the railway line. Three days back, Nayak had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the SER.
To thaw the stand-off, Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan held a meeting with SER’s Chakradharpur Division two days back. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) B Sahu was also present in the meet where Nayak vehemently raised the two issues. Stating that the meeting was fruitful, senior divisional commercial manager Manish Pathak said coordination meetings would be held every month.
The SER is committed to extend necessary support for Smart City projects and development work of Rourkela, he said and added that the four-lane issue would be resolved.
After initially agreeing for making the four-lane 80 feet wide, the SER’s then DRM in 2016 directed to confine middle portion of 1,200 metre of the project passing through Railway Colony to 30 feet and sought Rs 103 crore against land lease charges for widening and Rs 7 crore compensation towards for assets damage.
The SER had also wrongly claimed that the four-lane was not required by it. Since then, the middle portion continues with 15 feet width while the rest was completed without use. Nayak said around 80 per cent population of the entire township of Rourkela Steel Plant along with Basanti Colony, Chhend Colony, Shakti Nagar, Koel Nagar, Timber Colony, Malgodam, Gopabandhupali and Madhusudanpali would benefit from the project. Traffic congestion would also reduce at the main entrance of the railway station if the four-lane is completed.