Naveen seeks extension of eastern freight corridor up to Berhampur

With the freight traffic in Orissa projected in excess of 300 million tonnes per annum in the next five years and augmentation of rail infrastructure needed to meet the demands of the upcoming industries, the state government has sought the extension of the proposed Ludhiana-Dankuni eastern freight corridor up to Berhampur in south Orissa. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this connection. "The eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni must be extended to Berhampur so that the vast northern and central hinterland of the country can have an easier access to upcoming modern ports of Orissa which are going to become the country's gateway to international maritime trade as well as for coastal shipping within India. In the last budget, it was announced that the preliminary engineering cum traffic survey of the proposed East-West and East-South freight corridors shall be taken up. The roll out and timely implementation of these projects is of critical importance to the trade, commerce and industries of the entire eastern region of the country”, Patnaik stated in a letter to the Prime Minister.

Patnaik has also requested the Prime Minister to advise the Railways to expedite the execution work of the proposed world class station in Bhubaneswar and take up the development of multi-functional complexes at stations located in the district headquarters as well as important tourist and industrial centres of the state. He has stressed on the need to commence detailed planning for a rail-based city transport system through Central agencies to cater to the urban needs of the Greater Bhubaneswar region. Stating that 70 per cent of Orissa's interiors are either untouched or negligibly touched by the rail network, he has underscored the need to set up new railway links."It is imperative that new virgin areas are opened up for industrialization and development. In this context, the construction of Bhadrachalam Road-Talcher railway line via Malkangiri, Jeypore and Lanjigarh and Sambalpur-Berhampur railway link via Phulbani assumes importance. The surveys of these lines have been sanctioned and I would like you to advise the Ministry of Railways to execute these projects on priority basis. These projects should be treated as 'national projects'”, Patnaik said in his letter.

Source: Business Standard