Final location survey of Balangir-Nuapada new line sanctioned

BHUBANESWAR: The ministry of railways has sanctioned final location survey (FLS) of Balangir-Nuapada newline via Patnagarh with an estimated cost of Rs 2.5 crore. It was a long pending demand of people from Patnagarh and nearby areas.
The 100km newline comes under the East Coast Railway (ECoR). It will have seven stations between Balangir and Nuapada. These are Hardatal, Churapali, Bhainsa, Patnagarh, Gambhari, Harishankar and Lakhana.Preliminary engineering cum traffic survey for the newline was conducted a few years ago.
“The initial survey of this line had been initiated by me in my last tenure as Balangir MP. And 13 years later my request has been accepted. My heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw,” said Balangir MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo in a tweet posted on Wednesday.
Bajranglal Jain, a member of Patnagarh Citizen Committee, said they travel around 100km to reach Nuapada from Patnagarh. “But this line will reduce 45km. People including businessmen depend on Raipur in Chhattisgarh for different purposes. After completion of this line, people can save time and money while travelling to Raipur via Nuapada. Now we take a long route to go to Raipur,” he added.
This citizen committee had staged rail roko at Balangir in October 2017 demanding laying of rail line between Balangir and Nuapada. Jain said transporting agricultural and other products from their locality to other parts of the state and outside will be cost effective. “We can save time by sending and ordering goods by using rail transportation,” he added.
Dolamani Pradhan, president of Kosal Youth Coordination Committee and a resident of Balangir, said this newline once commissioned will boost business and communication in the district. “Patnagarh is a sub-division of Balangir district. People visit the town for both business and official work. The rail line will help them immensely. Even Patnagarh people can get connection to both Balangir and Nuapada,” he added.
He said Harishankar is a popular tourist destination. “After this line comes up, tourists can get easy access to this place through trains. Better communication will lead to an increase in the number of tourist footfalls at Harishankar,” he added.