Industry Odisha Bureau, Jul 15: In a major boost for evacuation of minerals, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two important railway projects Paradeep – Haridaspur doubling and Rajkharsawan – Dangoaposi fourth line.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today has approved the two projects of Ministry of Railways with total cost of Rs 3,907 crore.
The two projects covering four districts across Odisha and Jharkhand will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 145 km, officials said.
The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 1,526 villages, which are having a population of about 14 lakhs, they said.
The proposed capacity enhancement will improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Lalitgiri Buddhist Complex, Shree Baladevjew Temple, Meghahatuburu Hills, etc.
The projects are planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity & logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. These projects will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods, and services.
The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways.
These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion. The projects are in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s Vision of a New India which will make people of the region “Atmanirbhar” by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities, the officials stated.
The proposed projects are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, iron ore, dolomite, limestone, gypsum, etc.
The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 44 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).
The Railways being environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (06 crore liters) and lower CO2 emissions (29 crore Kg) which is equivalent to plantation of 01 (One) crore trees.
