BHUBANESWAR: With an allocation of Rs 10,586 crore for development of a railway network in the state, Odisha has notched up a record of sorts in the Union Budget 2024-25.
The budget allocated for the state is the fifth largest in the country after Uttar Pradesh (Rs 19,848 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 15,940 crore), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 14,738 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 13,941 crore).
Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said the budgetary provision of Rs 10,586 crore for railways in Odisha is the highest-ever allocation for the state in a fiscal.
“There are 40 ongoing projects, including new tracks, doubling and multiple lines covering a total of 4,017 km with an estimated cost of Rs 54,434 crore. These projects are crucial for improving connectivity and enhancing the efficiency of the railway network,” he said.
Odisha has been receiving on an average of Rs 10,000 crore for last three years for rail connectivity, safety and passenger amenities. The state contributes a revenue of around Rs 22,000 crore to the Railways.
This year’s allocation marks a 5.73 per cent jump over the last fiscal when the budget outlay was Rs 10,012 crore and exceeds Bihar (Rs 10,033 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 9,151), Rajasthan (Rs 9,959 crore), Gujarat (Rs 8,743 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 6,362 crore), Karnataka (Rs 7,559 crore), Jharkhand (Rs 7,302 crore), Chhattisgarh (Rs 6,922 crore) and Telangana (Rs 5,336 crore).
Vaishnaw said budgetary provisions have been made for eight new lines this fiscal. While pending projects like Khurda-Balangir and Talcher-Bimlagarh lines have been prioritised, new projects have been sanctioned for Junagarh, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Jeypore, Malkangiri and Bhadrachalam section which did not get rail connectivity earlier, he said.
The Indian railways has got approval for installation of ‘Kavach 4.0’ safety system, which is a combination of hardware, software, optical fiber, telecom tower and on-track system. The system will be installed at a rapid pace in the state, Vaishnaw informed.
He said the average length of new track being laid in a year has gone up from 53 km between 2009 and 2014 to 183 km now and the electrification of railway lines has seen a five-fold increase - from 29 km during 2009-14 to 146 km in last decade.
“Odisha has achieved 100 per cent electrification and 59 stations of the state are being transformed into Amrit stations. Indian Railways has constructed 427 rail flyovers and under-bridges, which are essential for reducing congestion and improving travel times for passengers,” he added.