PURI: An express train from Puri to Ayodhya will be commissioned by July or August this year to connect the two major religious places of the country, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday.
Addressing the local BJP workers here, Vaishnaw said the long-standing demand to connect Puri and Konark with train services is going to be fulfilled as a proposal in this regard would be approved soon.
In Odisha, Puri has been given priority by the Centre. The first Vande Bharat Express of Odisha was from Puri. Work to redevelop Puri railway station, which began 18 months back, has been making steady progress. After completion of this state-of-the-art railway station, lakhs of passengers and devotees will have a comfortable and convenient travel experience, he said.
The union minister further said before 2014, the Centre was allocating only Rs 800 crore per year for development of railway infrastructure in Odisha. Now, the annual allocation in the railway budget for Odisha has been increased to over Rs 10,000 crore.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given priority to the development of Odisha. While laying of new railway tracks was only 40-45 km per year, now it has increased to 480 km per year. This is a 10-fold rise in laying of new tracks in Odisha,” he said.
Recounting his first posting as magistrate during Pahandi at the Rath Yatra in 2015, Vaishnaw expressed his gratitude to Lord Jagannath for his blessings.
Addressing the gathering virtually, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari dedicated two mega highway projects at a cost of Rs 2,805 crore.
Chairman of ITDC Sambit Patra and state BJP president Manmohan Samal also spoke. Among others, Puri MLA Jayant Sarangi, Mahila Morcha leader Pravati Parida, district BJP president Asrit Pattnaik and local BJP leader Sankarshan Parida were present.