Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw here on Wednesday and discussed several pivotal railway projects. According to a press statement issued by the Chhattisgarh government, Sai emphasised the significance of expanding the state'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-Lohardaga New Line Project, Ambikapur-Barwadih New Line Project, Kharsia-New Raipur-Parmalkasa new railway line project and Raoghat-Jagdalpur New Rail Line Project, it said. The state government said that the 240 km-long Dharamjaigarh-Pathalgaon-Lohardaga new line project will enhance connectivity between north Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, linking towns like Pathalgaon, Kunkuri, Jashpur Nagar, Gumla etc. The 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, the statement said. Calling the 200 km-long Ambikapur-Barwadih New Line Project as probably the longest pending demand of people of any region in the country for rail connectivity, the release said that the route will connect (Ambikapur) North Chhattisgarh with (Barwadih) Jharkhand. According to the state government, construction of this line will provide an alternative route to transport coal and other minerals towards the northern and eastern parts 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 release said. Highlighting the importance of the 277 km-long Kharsia-New Raipur-Parmalkasa new railway line project, the state government said that it will provide an alternative route for the evacuation of coal from SECL (South Eastern Coalfields Limited) and MCL (Mahanadi Coalfields Limited) 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 Rs 8000 crores, the release said. Regarding the fourth crucial project, the Rowghat-Jagdalpur New Railway Line, the state government said that the railway is already constructing the Dallirajhara-Rowghat 95 km new railway line which should be extended to Jagdalpur, to enhance the 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, the statement said. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw acknowledged the strategic importance of these projects and assured the chief minister of prioritising their swift implementation. He emphasised that these initiatives are crucial for the holistic development of Chhattisgarh and assured that these projects will get priority, it added.