Rourkela: Fate of the Talcher-Bimlagarh rail route project looks doomed due to delay in land acquisition, a report said.
As a result, the rail route project, scheduled to get completed by December 2022 is moving at a snail’s pace. The way the project work is moving has sparked uncertainty over its completion in near future.
This has disappointed the residents who were expecting that the construction of the rail route would bring in development in remote regions of Sundargarh, Angul and Deogarh districts .
Notably, the project received government sanction 17 years back but it is yet to get completed. This has happened as the administration has failed to expedite the acquisition of private, government and forest land for the project.
Moreover, the project has been held up due to various reasons in Angul, Deogarh and Sundargarh districts. The respective district administrations have failed to relocate the electricity poles and water supply pipelines on and near the project site. This apart, construction of bridges and culverts for the rail route is equally disappointing.
Sources said initially it was expected that the project work would move faster from the Bimlagarh end of Sundargarh district. However, the slow pace of work has frustrated all hopes of its early completion.
Surprisingly, work from the Talcher end has failed to make progress despite sanction of funds by the Union government.
Land acquisition in Talcher is also plagued by similar problems. The district administration in Angul is yet to settle the problems plaguing the acquisition of private land and construction of railway over-bridge for which the project has got delayed.
The inception of the project dates back to 60s when various outfits and public representatives demanded construction of a rail route from Talcher to Bimlagarh in Sundargarh district as it would foster the relation between the Western Odisha and East Odisha by effectively connecting the two regions.
Moreover, the railways department would also earn more revenue once the project gets completed and train starts plying on the route. This apart, the rail route would also prove beneficial for development of mines and industries in the state.
Meanwhile, Sundargarh MP Jual Oram has submitted a memorandum to the Centre and drawn the attention of railway minister in the Lok Sabha, February 2020 demanding fast completion of the project. Oram had also written to the Chief Minister in this regard, March 2017. Recently, Oram met the state revenue minister Sudam Marandi and urged him to intervene in the project.
Meanwhile, the railways department has received environmental clearance for acquisition of 439 acre of land but the matter is caught in legal hurdles. This has impacted the handover of 421 acre of land acquired by the state government.
PNN