Indian Railways approves Banspani-Barbil rail line project

The Indian Railways has approved the Banspani-Barbil rail line project for pre-investment activities. This will reduce the distance between Barbil and steel plants in the Kalinganagar area of Odisha. The ministry is partnering with Indian Railways' joint venture company under development (51% share) and the state government's Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited companies (49%). No funds are provided for the financial year 2016-17 as the project is not sanctioned. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha about a railway project that was sanctioned in 2010-11. The anticipated cost of completing it is Rs 1,584 crore. He said this depends on various factors like a quick land acquisition by the state government, forest clearance from officials in the department, shifting of utilities infringing upon railways' rights and statutory clearances from various authorities for its location; climatic conditions affect how many months trains can run during construction at any site with geographical issues to take into consideration as well. Not all projects are the same, and this has an effect on how long it takes to complete them. Image Source