BHUBANESHWAR: The Ministry of Railways has decided to develop the much-awaited Bargarh Road - Nuapada Road new railway line via Padampur as a special project.
The 138.32 km project was a major poll issue during the Padampur by-election in 2022 with BJD and BJP accusing each other for the delay. The railway line would reduce the distance by 87 km between Sambalpur and Raipur.
Sources said the state government has already initiated the land acquisition process in both the Bargarh and Nuapada districts for the proposed project. Two retired revenue officers have been appointed to expedite land acquisition, and statutory clearances, and resolve other issues about the new line.
The project that got the nod of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August last would be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,621.92 crore, including civil works of Rs 2,107.3 crore, electrical engineering of Rs 305.55 crore and signal and telecom works of Rs 209.07 crore. Around 924.64 hectares of land required for the project comprises 752.52 ha private, 123.23 ha government and 48.91 ha forest land.
The competent authority for land acquisition (CALA) has been appointed and Rs 364 crore has been sanctioned for the land acquisition, which is expected to be completed in a year, the sources said.
A railway official said the new railway line will provide an alternative shorter route and bypass the congested Jharsuguda-Bilaspur-Raipur circuit. "Since around 112 km of the line will pass through Bargarh, maximum land will be acquired in the district. Construction of the new line would begin as soon as the land is handed over to railways," he said.
Initially announced in 2018, the project was shelved by the Centre for not being financially viable. It was, however, granted in-principle approval in December 2021 after the then BJD government assured to give free land along with the funding support of Rs 300 crore. Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), a joint venture of the state government and the Ministry of Railways, was asked to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) prior to the Padampur bypoll.
As the ORIDL failed to make progress, the Railways prepared the DPR in record time. The proposed route will have 11 stations between the existing Bargarh Road and Nuapada Road stations, and cater to the heavily industrialised adjoining districts of Sambalpur and Jharsuguda. The stations would be built at Sarsara, Dumerpali, Bijepur, Badipali, Dhauramunda, Padampur, Bhagatpur, Majhipali, Paikmal, Bartunda and Anlajuba.
"Once completed, this line will help bypass the heavily industrialised and congested rail route of Jharsuguda-Bilaspur-Raipur. As all steel plants in the region are going for huge expansion, the line will reduce the logistic cost by reducing distance and detention. Freight transaction capacity will also increase," the official added.