BHUBANESWAR :Odisha’s biodiversity hotspot and a prime tourist destination, the Bhitarkanika national park will soon be connected by rail. The proposed Jajpur Road-Dhamra railway line will pass through two important tourist destinations - Aradi in Bhadrak and Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district.
As per the proposed alignment of the new line, at least 10 stations are being planned between Jajpur Road and Dhamra. The final location survey (FLS) for the 95-km new line, which was sanctioned last year at a cost of Rs 2.4 crore, is underway from both the ends.
A part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Purvoday’ vision, the railway line will connect important religious and tourist destinations in Jajpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts. It will provide direct communication to Maa Biraja temple, one of the oldest Shakti peethas of the country, with the famous Shaivite shrine of Baba Akhandalamani at Aradi.
Railway sources said the line will pass through Chhotaraipur, Rampur Segadi, Bahabalpur, Jajpur Town, Jaleswarpur, Saipura, Mangalpur, Aradi, Chandabali and Bhitarkanika.
A railway junction has been planned at Chhotaraipur on the route. Sanctioned in 2012-13, field survey for the project was conducted by East Coast Railway to connect Dhamra port with Jajpur-Keonjhar Road.
The project had been gathering dust until it was prioritised by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The rail line with a rate of return (ROR) of 27.43 per cent will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,042 crore.
The new line will not only expand economic activities of local industries and Dhamra port, but also meet the needs of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It will facilitate transportation of minerals from Sukinda valley, Keonjhar and Talcher along with industrial goods from Angul and Kalinganagar.
The proposed line will reduce the distance between Jajpur Road and Dhamra by 13 km and benefit 30 lakh people in three districts. It will also provide rail connectivity to Bhitarkanika, the second Ramsar site of the state after Chilika lake. Once linked with railways, the national park, home to saltwater crocodile and many other species of flora and fauna, will turn into a major attraction for tourists and nature lovers.
“Final local survey of the project is going on in full swing and is expected to be over by March. The survey report will be submitted in April for approval. Once it is approved, the process will begin for the detailed project report and final approval,” said a railway official.