ROURKELA: Fresh tribal protests have stalled Rourkela Steel Plant’s new rail line work at Barkani, prolonging the delay on the project that is almost 15 years behind schedule.
The project is key for execution of RSP’s mega Greenfield expansion plan and is needed for smooth and faster movement of raw-materials and finished goods. Work on the rail line project has been stalled for 18 months since the death of a tribal agitator on April 19, 2025 at Barkani.
RSP managed to secure the expansion site and fresh negotiation was recently initiated with Barkani villagers to start work on the new rail line project, said sources. Around 10 days ago, RSP deployed a team comprising three chief general manager-rank officers to talk to the protesting villagers. Following days of talks, RSP on Wednesday deployed earth moving machineries and manpower to start ground clearance for the rail line. Villagers, however, physically stopped the work despite police presence, the sources added. The RSP’s plan involves restoration of its defunct single rail track of around 2 km from the Plant to Dumerta via Barkani and lay a new parallel track alongside.
RSP sources said before starting work on the new rail line, there is a need to erect concrete walls on both sides totalling 3.2 km to secure the site. Following the fresh protest on Wednesday, RSP would move the Sundargarh administration to pave way for the project and simultaneously keep talking to villagers.
At present, inbound and outgoing railway rakes of RSP get routed through the congested Bondamunda railway yard on the busy Howrah-Mumbai main line of South Eastern Railway (SER), said sources. Owing to route congestion and railway rakes being at the yard for long periods, RSP faces operation delays and also pays heavy demurrage charges.
Incidentally, RSP, with the intervention of the state government and police, managed to reclaim the expansion site of 1,200 acres of its land at Barkani and Jharbeda between April and August this year. This saw shifting and rehabilitation of more than 500 families staying in around 320 unauthorised hutments. The expansion project site has been secured with concrete walls. RSP seeks to expand its steel production capacity from the existing 4.65 MTPA to 9.8 MTPA, with investment of around `30,000 crore, by 2031-32.
