Odisha government on Friday urged the Centre to start passenger train service in the Haridaspur-Paradip line connecting the mineral belt of the state with the port town by the end of this year, officials said.
Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi told the officials of the Railways and Prime Minister's Office Project Management Committee about this at a meeting here, the officials said.
Padhi drew the attention of Union Cabinet Committee Project Supervising Group's Joint Secretary Rajiv Agarwal and urged him to ensure that the passenger trains operate in the Haridaspur-Paradip rail line by the end of this year, an official release issued after the meeting said.
Agarwal assured the Odisha government that he will take up the matter with the Railway Board.
The Rs 1,000 crore new railway line project between Haridaspur and Paradip is in the final stage of construction, said P K Jena, the State Project Management Cell, Secretary.
The meeting reviewed at least 26 projects worth investment of Rs 54,000 crore, officials said.
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The meeting discussed issues like land acquisition, encroachment eviction required for road and rail projects in the state.
It also discussed on utilisation of the acquired land, development of rehabilitation sites and construction of colony, forest clearance, environment clearance, distribution of compensation amount, compensatory afforestation, eviction of encroachment and others, the release said.
The meeting was informed that a major portion of the land required for 112 km stretch of railway line of the Khurda-Bolangir project has been acquired and handed over to the railways. The project is being built at an investment of Rs 3,550 crore.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of the Rs 1,130 crore doubling of Bansapani-Jakhapua railway line, Rs 1,149.98 crore Rourkela-Jharsuguda line, Rs 2,362 crore doubling of Koraput-Signapur line and many other railway projects.
It also reviewed the progress of Rs 1,047 crore expansion of Chandikhol-Jagatpur-Bhubaneswar section of NH-5, Rs 778.15 crore Biramitrapur-Barkot NH, Rs 1057 crore Binchabahala-Tileibani NH and other NH projects.
Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd's Belpahad, Kaniha, Bhubaneswar open cast coal mining projects were also reviewed. A sum of Rs 9,897.87 crore will be invested in these projects.
Similarly, the progress of Dalmia Cement's Rs 3,000 crore limestone mining project was also reviewed in the meeting, officials added.