BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned the much-awaited Puri-Konark railway line that will connect the two major tourist destinations of Odisha, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Tuesday.
The 32 km-long new railway line will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 492 crore. “The project has been sanctioned and funds are available. Work will start soon after the design, which is in its final stage, is ready. Once the line is commissioned, it will promote spiritual, heritage and coastal tourism boosting the economy of the region. The new line will connect Sun Temple at Konark with Jagannath Temple at Puri,” he said.
Vaishnaw said four to five tourist hubs with recreation facilities will also be developed along the new line. Vistadome-like train services with 180 degree rotatable reclining seats, observation lounge and WiFi will be introduced on the route to ensure optimum experience for tourists. Railways will coordinate with Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and servitors for promotion of Jagannath culture in the rail section. With the help of AR-VR technology, Jagannath culture will be promoted inside the trains, he said.
Around 215 ha of land will be acquired for this project, Vaishnaw said, and sought cooperation from the state government for faster land acquisition to complete the project in record time. The railway project, which was shelved following the objection from the Forest and Environment Ministry on the grounds that it passes through a reserve forest, wildlife sanctuary and falls within the coastal regulatory zone prohibited area, was put back on track in 2021.
In 2017, CM Naveen Patnaik had proposed to bear 50 per cent of the project cost of the Puri-Konark new line to boost the tourism potential of the Bhubaneswar-Konark-Puri golden triangle.
Vaishnaw also informed that 409 road over bridges and road under bridges in the state have been constructed at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore in last one decade and 220 more such structures are now under construction at various places. Further, of the 5,333 mobile towers sanctioned at a cost of Rs 5,600 crore a year back, 684 towers have been completed. While tower installation is ongoing at 3,112 locations, the state government has been urged to provide land for the rest of the towers, he said.
The minister also released five commemorative postage stamps on legendary poets of Odisha and cultural heritage of western Odisha through video-conferencing from Bhubaneswar. He inaugurated 42 branch post offices in seven districts. Union Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan accompanied him.