Sambalpur: BJP MP from Sambalpur Nitesh Ganga Deb Tuesday urged the Railway Minister to allocate Rs 500 crore to Talcher-Bimalagarh railway project in supplementary Budget.
Taking part on the discussion on Demands for Grants under Ministry of Railways, the BJP MP said Deogarh in his parliamentary constituency has not been found a place in railway map till date, after 73 years of Independence.
“The Talcher-Bimalagarh (154 km) new railway line goes through Deogarh district and links many villages once this project is completed. The proposed cost of this project is about Rs 1,928 crore.
Only 20 km of the project is completed with Rs 839 crore. The work from 20 km to 43.50 km has started but the progress is very slow indeed,” the BJP MP said. He said that the state government has to expedite the land acquisition and handing over the remaining 916 acres of land.
This delay necessitated increasing the cost of the project. “Though Rs 140 crore was allocated in last year’s Budget, only Rs 10 crore has been allocated in the current year’s Budget. I urge the Railway Minister to at least allocate Rs 500 crore in supplementary Budget and Ministry of Railways may take programmatic approach to complete the project for the socioeconomic development of my Parliamentary Constituency Sambalpur,” Ganga Deb said.
PNN