BHUBANESWAR: Minister for Railways, Communications and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said two new railways lines in the state will be fast-tracked for faster communication and propelling economic activities.
The new lines to be expedited are Angul - Nayagarh Town via Narsinghpur, Kantilo and Khandapada and a chord line between Khurda Town - Kaipadar Road besides the Digha-Jaleswar (Chandaneswar-Jaleswar) project. “Final location survey (FLS) has been granted for the Angul - Nayagarh Town line and the chord line between Khurda Town - Kaipadar Road. Approval process has been completed for the Chandaneswar-Jaleswar line and the work will start soon,” he said.
The Jaleswar-Chandaneswar line will connect famous Shiva peethas like Chandaneswar temple and Bhusandeswar temple with Jaleswar station, promote regional socio-economic upliftment and provide connectivity to students, pilgrims, farmers and local traders of the region.
The much-needed connectivity to the hinterland of Jaleswar and Bhograi blocks of Balasore districts will also benefit the fisheries sector and local agricultural producers. Approved since 2010, the project was lagging due to lack of required budgetary provisions and delay in the land acquisition process.
Similarly, the Angul - Nayagarh Town line will provide connectivity to Kantilo Nilamadhab temple and promote nature tourism extending connectivity to unexplored wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests in the region besides facilitating smooth freight movement to coal and power plants.
The proposed new line will merge with the ongoing Khurda-Balangir line at Nayagarh Town station and take off from Khurda Town station to Kaipadar Road station in Khurda Road Vizianagaram main line.