Khurda-Balangir rail project hits forest land diversion hurdle

23 Mar 2022 CW Team

The diversion of forest land is now a major obstacle in the construction work of the Khurda Road-Balangir new line project of 289 km which links western Odisha to the coastal part of Odisha.

Out of the forest land of 1,844 acres required for the project, diversion of only 170 acres has been done so far.

On Wednesday Railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw told the media that this project includes the acquisition of 6,162 acres of land along with a diversion of 1,844 acres of forest land. Out of which, 5,333 acres of land is acquired while forest land diversion of only 170 acres is completed to date. The state government needs to acquire land of 829 acres and take steps for the diversion of forest land of 1,674 acres, he added.

The Odisha government entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Railway Ministry to provide land free of cost for the Jeypore-Nabarangpur new line and the Khurda Road-Balangir new line. It is among the oldest projects that have been sanctioned in 1994-95.

Currently out of the total work 92 km has been commissioned; Khurda Road to Mahipur of 77 km and Balangir to Bichupalli of 15 km.

The total estimated cost for the project stands at Rs 3,792 crore. Alongside the free land, the government of Odisha will share 50% of the project cost from 112 km to 289 km. Up to March 2021, an expenditure of Rs 1,497 crore is incurred on the project. Around Rs 1,000.5 crore outlay has also been provided in the fiscal year 2021-22.

Image Source

Also read: Odisha govt to upgrade 253 slums in urban forest land

Infrastructure Transport

30 May 2026

Chembur Metro to Boost East Mumbai Links

MMRDA is advancing eastern Mumbai’s urban mobility network, with the upcoming Chembur Metro Station set to emerge as a key interchange and the Mumbai Monorail preparing for relaunch.Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, conducted a site visit to Chembur Metro Station along with Kanhuraj Bagate, Managing Director, MMMOCL. He also visited the nearby VN Purav Monorail Station to review system preparedness and ease of interconnectivity.Once operational, the interchange is expected to offer commuters across the eastern suburbs quicker access, smoother transfers and seamless conne..

Herrenknecht TBMs Drive Thane–Borivali Tunnel Progress

Herrenknecht India has supplied two of the four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) required for the 11-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel Project being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The project is expected to reduce travel time between Thane and Borivali from 60–90 minutes to around 15 minutes while easing congestion across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.The first two Single Shield TBMs, named Nayak and Arjuna, feature 13.34-m cutterhead diameters and are designed for hard-rock excavation. They will be deployed to tunnel through the challenging geological..

KBL Launches Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set

Kirloskar Brothers (KBL) has launched its Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set, an integrated fire protection solution designed to improve operational efficiency, remote monitoring and installation flexibility. The system was inaugurated by Ms Madhuritai Misal, Hon. Minister of State for Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra.The Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set is a factory-tested, pre-packaged solution that combines FM/UL-certified motor and engine pump sets with IoT-enabled remote monitoring. Designed to deliver a flow rate of 170 m³/hr at a head of 100 metres, the system aims to provide..