Bhubaneswar, Nov 5: The Ministry of Railways has accorded the Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL) to take up pre-investment activities for the new line project of Brahmapur (Gopalpur)-Phulbani-Sambalpur.
The ministry swung into action after it came to the knowledge from different media sources that the Kandhamal Development Council at Phulbani expressed its discontentment over the decision to exclude Phulbani from the Gopalpur-Sambalpur Railway project via Phulbani despite the project’s allocation for the district in the Central Government’s Budget.
“The most important aspect of this rail line was that the dream of the people of Kandhamal district to have train service in their district will also come true. Once completed and commissioned, the line will connect four districts namely Ganjam, Boudh, Phulbani and Sambalpur,” said an official.
This 240-kilometre-long line was supposed to start from Jagannathpur on the Bhubaneswar-Berhampur route and its culminating point would be at Rairakhol on Sambalpur-Angul route. It will touch Aska and Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district, Phulbani in Kandhamal district and Boudh and will have a total of 18 stations. It was the expectation of the people of the four districts that the new line would be instrumental in the financial growth of the areas. This apart, cargo transportation to and from Goplapur port will go up manifold.
“The project has found a space in the budget means it has been sanctioned. Later, groundwork to be carried out, a detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared and a field study will then be conducted,” added the official.
