Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday met Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi and discussed several pivotal rail projects aimed at enhancing connectivity and fostering economic growth in the state.
In the crucial meeting held at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, Chief Minister Sai emphasized on the significance of expanding Chhattisgarh’s rail network for bolstering social and economic development across the region.
He urged the union minister to commence at the earliest four major railway projects of the state, Dharamjaigarh-Pathalgaon-
Dharamjaigarh-Pathalgaon-
The length of the project is 240 km. The project will enhance connectivity between north Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, linking towns like Pathalgaon, Kunkuri, Jashpur Nagar, Gumla, etc. He said work on the Korba-Dharamjaigarh project is in progress. There is a plan to connect the industrial (Korba) region with Lohardaga through this project. Apart from this, it will connect the region with central India through Korba and Ranchi in the east. The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 16,000 crore.
Ambikapur-Barwadih New Line Project
This is probably the longest pending demand of people of any region in the country for rail connectivity and will connect (Ambikapur) North Chhattisgarh with (Barwadih) Jharkhand. Construction of this line will provide an alternate route to transport Coal and other minerals towards the northern and eastern part of the country.
This project which has an approximate cost of Rs 9,000 crore holds significant importance as it will provide an alternate route from the eastern region to the Western part of the country via Chhattisgarh and thus will help better integration of the local economy with the rest of the country. The length of the project is 200 Km.
Kharsia-New Raipur-Parmalkasa new railway line project
The proposed project which is 277 Km long will provide an alternative route for the evacuation of coal from SECL and MCL coalfields to the western region of the country. This also bypasses Bilaspur and Raipur stations and provides connectivity to the cement-rich region of Baloda Bazar. Shivrinarayan, a pilgrimage town will also be connected through this Project. Approx cost of the project is about ₹8000 crores.
Raoghat-Jagdalpur New Rail Line Project
The railway is already constructing the Dallirajhara-Rowghat 95 km new railway line. This line should be extended to Jagdalpur which is an economic and social development of the tribal area. The new line will enhance the transport of iron ores from the mineral-rich Bastar region to steel industries in Chhattisgarh. It will also promote economic and social development in the tribal areas of Bastar, Kondagaon and Narayanpur. The approximate cost of the project is about Rs 3500 crore.
Railways Vaishnaw acknowledged the strategic importance of these projects and assured the Chief Minister of prioritizing their swift implementation. He emphasized that these initiatives are crucial for the holistic development of Chhattisgarh and assured that these projects will get priority.