Rs 6,000-crore multi-tracking project, 2 new Railway lines get Cabinet nod

The three railway lines under the projects are — 121-km Jamshedpur-Purulia-Asansol (Chandil-Anara-Damodar), 3rd line between Jharkhand and West Bengal; 37-km Sardega (Odisha)-Bhalumuda (Chhattisgarh) new double line between Odisha and Chhattisgarh; and 138-km Bargarh-Nawapara Road new line in Odisha. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Jamshedpur-Purulia-Asansol is an important corridor, which will connect Delhi-Howrah and Mumbai-Howrah corridors.

“This is in line with PM Narendra Modi’s vision ‘Purvodaya se desh ka uday’. This will improve the transportation of industrial goods as well as passengers. Because of the shift of cargo transportation to the railway in place of roads, 72-crore kg CO2 emission will be saved. This is equivalent to plantating 3 crore trees. The project cost is Rs 2,170 crore,” said Vaishnaw during a briefing after the Cabinet meeting.

On Bargarh Road-Nawapara Road new line, he said, “This is a very important project. Bargarh district is the rice bowl of Odisha. In many ways, the food production here is as high as that in Punjab and Haryana. This new line has been approved considering population, goods and other factors. It is also in the vicinity of world famous Narsinghnath temple. It will promote Cotton Sambalpuri handloom (sari) textile products. The cost of the project is Rs 2,926 crore.”

The Ministry of Railways in a statement also said that 14 new stations will be constructed under these projects and it will provide connectivity to approximately 1,300 villages and benefit a population of about 11 lakh.

“These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertiliser, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, limestone, etc. The projects are the result of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan,” it said.