With Rajya Sabha member from Odisha Ashwini Vaishnaw taking charge as the Railway Minister, hope for expeditious implementation of the Talcher-Bimlagarh new rail line project, has been reignited. Sanctioned in 2003-04, the rail project has been delayed due to neglect by the railways and land acquisition hurdles.
Vaishnaw during his probation as an IAS officer, had joined as Block Development Officer in Gurundia block of Bonai subdivision in Sundargarh district. In 1996-97, he was elevated as Bonai Sub-Collector. Between 1998 and 1999 he served as Project Director to District Rural Development Agency in Sundargarh before leaving the district on promotion.
Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI) general secretary and Talcher-Bimlagarh Rail Line Action Committee (TBRLAC) leader Bimal Bisi on Friday wrote an e-mail to the new Railway Minister requesting his intervention in expeditious completion of the project. Alleging neglect of Odisha by the Railway Ministry, he said the ongoing project would not only establish the shortest route between State capital Bhubaneswar and Paradip port, but also go a long way in ensuring the economic prosperity of the region with the proliferation of industrial and mining operations.
The demand for the rail line is seven decades old and in the past 20 years, only 17.62 km of the line from Talcher side has been constructed while work is on for another 16.30 km between Sunakhani and Parabil. Bisi said he would meet the Railway Minister soon over the issue.
Source : New Indian Express
