Patnaik, in a letter to the Prime Minister, has given a long list of proposals on development of railways in the State which had been neglected by successive Union Governments. He urged the Prime Minister to ask the Railways Minster to take necessary steps for allocating required funds for new as well as ongoing projects. Besides, he urged the Prime Minister to advise Ministry of Railways for strengthening of railway infrastructure in Odisha.
In his proposal, Patnaik has indicated some new lines, doubling of tracks, electrification, gauge conversion and passenger amenities.
Patnaik in his proposal has urged the Prime Minister to provide railway connectivity to all the ports within definite timeframe, besides declaring at least three railway projects with the status of National Projects and to convert the Bhubaneswar and Puri railway station to world class stations.
Stating that Odisha continues to be one of the most preferred destinations for investment, especially in metal, mining and power sectors, he said the State Government was leveraging this opportunity to plan orderly, systematic and comprehensive economic growth by focusing upon infrastructure development and creating dedicated industrial corridors. The nature of industrial activities in the State requires a robust and well-planned railway infrastructure for its sustainability, Patnaik pointed out.
He said the Central Government had initiated many ambitious projects like dedicated freight corridor aligned with mega industrial hubs, national road express ways and high- speed train projects. But those projects appear to have completely bypassed Odisha although some of the country's largest investments in the steel, aluminium and power sectors are coming up here.
Referring to the railway lines, he said the railway route length and rail density in Odisha was well below national average as also substantially lower than that in neighboring States. In his proposal, Patnaik requested the Ministry of Railways to put in place a time-bund infrastructure upgradation arrangement for the ports coming up on the Odisha coast. “A synchronised development plan between that of the ports and related rail connectivity is necessary for maximizing economic gains, he said. In this context, Patnaik said the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni should be extended to Brahmapur so as to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and the northern and central hinterlands of the country.
He proposed for construction of Bharachaam Road-Talcher rail link via Malkangiri, Jeypur, Lanjigarh, Sambalpur-Brahmapur new rail link via Phulbani and Rayagada-Gopalpur rail link via Bhismagiri.
Pointing out that survey for these lines have been sanctioned, he urged the Prime Minister to advise the Ministry of Railways to execute the projects on priority basis, treating these projects as “National Projects”.
He also urged Singh to expedite execution of a World Class Station at Bhubaneswar and holy pilgrimage town of Puri. Similarly, the railway stations at important district centres and major tourist destinations need special attention to provide “multi-functional complexes” and upgraded passenger amenities. Besides, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack region which is planned as a mega urban complex also needs to have a rail-based urban transport system, he said.
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