Naupada-Gunupur Railway line extension to Therubali: Rail Minister exposes intention of Odisha Govt for inordinate delay, says MP Ullaka
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, December 7: Last Wednesday the lone Congress MP from Odisha Saptagiri Ullaka raised questions on the status on extension of Naupada-Gunupur railway project upto Therubali vide unstarred question no-538. The question mainly focussed on the steps taken by the Government to sanction the project & mitigate delays and time by which the said project will be operational.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in his answer mentioned that the said railway line to the extent of 73.62 kms was included in the budget 2017-18 subject to requisite approvals. Govt of Odisha was requested to share 50% of cost & to provide land free of cost. Govt of Odisha has agreed to provide only land free of cost. As per the Detailed Project Report(DPR), the total project cost is Rs.1165.89 crores excluding the cost of land. The state government agreed to provide land free of cost but remained silent on bearing 50% of the cost. The project was supposed to be completed by 2023. Unfortunately not an iota of work was started and 2023 is going to end. There is still no timeline plan regarding the initiation and completion of the project.
The demand for the rail route is not new but for last 50 years. The proposed railway line is likely to pass through Kujendri, Penakam, Deula, Ramanaguda and Bankili. The railway line will help in the all-round economic growth and a distance of at least 150 km will be reduced to Bhubaneswar. Eight mega bridges, 113 small bridges, one over-bridge and 56 level crossings will be constructed under Gunupur-Therubali railway line. For all these 559-hectares of land is required, sources said.
“This is sheer confusing in the context of budget allocation and distance stretch declared in different parts of time. The website of railway deptt mentions that New Line & Electrification is going on for 79.15 Km of New Line From Naupada-Gunupur Broad Gauge Line up to Therubali at a cost of 935.720 Crores. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project has been prepared. As per the DPR, the approximate cost of the project is Rs 1398 crores, said Vaishnaw during February, 2022. These kind of statistical juggleries have baffled the public. Connectivity of the 73 aka 79 km stretch has been pending since long and repeated demands of the people of Rayagada to the State and Centre had fallen on deaf ears. These descrepancies and misinformation should have been crossed checked by MP Ullaka”, said Johan Majhi, a tribal leader from Padmapur block.
Members of a local outfit ‘Rail Vikash Manch’ took out a cycle rally and submitted a memorandum to Vaishnaw when he visited Rayagada two years back. Akshaya Das, a social activist of Gunupur, has urged the state government to intervene and take steps for early completion of the project. Andhra-Odisha Rail Users’ Association convener Satya Prakash Panda of Gunupur said that both the Union and state governments should understand the need for Naupada-GunupurTherubali rail project and take steps for expediting it.
“I have been raising this issue in Lok Sabha since 2019. On last Wednesday a parliament question by me on extension of Naupada-Gunupur railway line upto Therubali was answered by Railway Minister Vaishnaw. I am extremely disappointed to know that State Government & Naveen Patnaik ji has only agreed to provide land free of cost but has not agreed to share 50% of costs. The State Government has been propagating lies that they have agreed to share costs, which is now exposed by Union Minister’s response. We will fight on the issue tooth & nail till we get it done”, asserted Ullaka.
