August 10th 2024.
On Saturday, Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, announced that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has given the green light to projects worth a whopping Rs 15,000 crore for the state. These projects were approved after Majhi had a brief interaction with Vaishnaw last month. The Chief Minister expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support in clearing these projects for Odisha. He also mentioned that during his visit to Delhi on July 27, he had a meeting with the Railway Minister to discuss the pending railway projects in the state.
In a recent development, the Chief Minister once again connected with Vaishnaw through video conferencing from Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. During the interaction, Majhi thanked Vaishnaw and said, "You called me for a quick tea break in Delhi and within that time, you approved six major projects for Odisha. Thank you very much." These projects, worth Rs 15,004 crore, were approved by the Cabinet Committee at the Centre.
During his visit to the national capital last month for the NITI Aayog meeting, the Chief Minister had urged Vaishnaw to give priority to the pending railway projects in Odisha. Majhi expressed his happiness and stated, "The people of Odisha are thrilled with this news. These projects will not only improve the railway infrastructure in our state but also contribute towards the economic growth of our backward districts. This will certainly accelerate the overall development of the state."
Majhi also acknowledged that land acquisition can be a major hurdle in the implementation of railway projects. He assured Vaishnaw that his government will provide all necessary support to overcome this challenge. During the video conferencing, Vaishnaw discussed the approved projects and how they will connect the western and southern regions of the state while also promoting economic activities in the northern districts.
Praising the Modi government, Vaishnaw said that approving six major railway projects at once is a historic step. He also mentioned that in the last 10 years, the government has increased the railway line construction from 40 km per year to over 300 km per year. He further assured that these new projects will be completed on time with proper monitoring and collaboration with the state government.
The video conferencing was attended by several MPs from Odisha, who were all pleased with the news of the approved projects. Some of the new railway lines sanctioned in Odisha include Gunupur-Theruvali in Rayagada at a cost of Rs 1,326 crore, Junagarh Road-Nabrangpur in Kalahandi and Nawarangpur district at a cost of Rs 3,274 crore, and Malkangiri-Pandurangapuram in Malkanagiri.
However, the opposition BJD criticized the BJP-led central government for not sanctioning any new railway lines in the last eight years. They claimed that these new projects were approved with the intention of transporting Odisha's mineral wealth to other states. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty expressed his disappointment and stated that the people of Odisha deserve better.
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