Coal minister inaugurates Angul-Balram Rail-link

The 14-km Angul-Balram rail link's opening gave Talcher coalfields coal evacuation a major boost and allowed Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) to increase daily coal despatch to consumers by about 40 thousand tonnes. The first phase of the Angul-Balram rail link was completed at a cost of Rs. 3 billion, and its commissioning has increased MCL's ability to ship 10 more rakes of coal per day. The rail link was opened by the Union Ministers of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pralhad Joshi, Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Railways, Communications, Electronics, & Information Technology, Shri Ashwani Vaishnav. It was built by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd, and IDCO. The Angul-Balram rail link is the first stage of a 68-km-long inner corridor that will serve the Talcher coalfields in the Angul district of Odisha. The inner corridor runs from Angul to Balram, Putugadia, Jarapada, and Tentuloi. MCRL is implementing the inner corridor in two stages. 14 km of the Angul-Balram rail link would be built in the first phase, and 54 km of the Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link would be built in the second phase. This project, whose total estimated cost is Rs 17 billion, is being developed by IRCON International Ltd. Shri OP Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MCL & Chairman of MCRL, Shri Keshav Rao, Director (Personnel), Shri Jugal Kumar Borah, Director (Technical), Shri Ajit Kumar Behura, Director (Finance), and Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, were also present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. MCL, which represents the Ministry of Coal, holds 64% of the equity shares in the MCRL. IRCON, who represents the Ministry of Railways, holds 26%, and IDCO, which represents the Government of Odisha, has 10%. In order to develop, finance, and implement the common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in the state of Odisha, this JV was established in 2015. The Talcher coalfields' dry fuel will be more easily evacuated from the coal blocks assigned to miners other than Coal India. Keywords:Angul-Balram rail, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Coal India, Ministry of Railways. See also: CIL's prospects expect to rise amid increased power demandMCL achieves 163 mt coal production target of 2021-22