Paralakhemundi: The British era Naipada-Paralakhemundi-Gunupur rail route will soon come alive with the Centre assuring to extend the rail route from Gunupur to Therubali, a report said.
The extension of the 200-year-old rail route will ensure better railway connectivity among the southern Odisha districts.
It will not only help people travel to their destinations, but also improve transportation of goods. The matter came to the fore during the recent visit of the Union Railways Minister Aswini Vaishnaw to Koraput district.
During his visit, political representatives, administrative officials and leaders of various political outfits met Vaishnaw and apprised him about the rich history of the rail route.
Vaishnaw heard their pleas and assured them to take necessary steps for the development of the rail route. Sources said during their rule over Paralakehmundi, the royal families had carried out various development work in their areas.
The then royal Gour Chandra Gajapati was first to launch the railway services in the Paralakhemundi area in 1900, which was almost impossible to achieve and unthinkable at that time.
During the British rule, the former royals realised that interests of their people could be best served if communication facilities were improved in the area.
Gour Chandra Gajapati spent money from his exchequer and donated land to commence railways services in the area.
Even as Paralakhemundi and Gunupur were remote and inaccessible areas at that time and construction of a rail route was almost impossible, Gour Chandra Gajapati took the challenge and constructed a narrow gauge railway track in 1900 to connect with the main rail route at Naipada in Andhra Pradesh.
Later, his son Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, who ascended the throne, extended the railway track from Paralakhemundi to Gunupur and provided railways services to the people of Gunupur.
This historical narrow gauge rail route was closed down in 2002 and replaced with a broad gauge rail track in 2011.
However, the track was not extended up to Therubali in Rayagada despite repeated demands from various walks of life. They demanded extension of the track till Therubali at different points of times.
Now after Vaishnaw’s visit to the southern districts, people are hopeful that extension of the rail route will gain momentum. The Centre has given its approval for the project and the state government has agreed to provide land for it.
However, the project again ran into controversy after the Centre suddenly demanded that the state should bear 50 per cent of the expenditure for the project.
However, Vaishnaw assured to discuss the matter with the state government and start the project soon. This has raised hopes among residents that work may soon begin on the rail route project.
PNN
