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 Energy

09 Jan 2026

Rajesh Power Secures 65 MW BESS Project in Gujarat

Rajesh Power Services has recently secured a 65 MW / 130 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Gujarat, marking its entry into utility-scale energy storage. The company received a Letter of Intent from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam for the project, which will be developed at Virpore under a tariff-based competitive bidding mechanism supported by Viability Gap Funding through the Power System Development Fund.The project is expected to be executed within 18 months from the signing of the Battery Energy Storage Purchase Agreement. With the ability to supply 65 MW of power for..

ONGC Forms JV with MOL for Ethane Shipping Operations

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) has recently entered the ethane shipping segment through joint venture agreements with M/s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines), Japan. The agreements involve equity participation in two joint venture entities—Bharat Ethane One IFSC Private Limited and Bharat Ethane Two IFSC Private Limited—registered at GIFT City, Gandhinagar.Under the arrangement, ONGC will subscribe to 2,00,000 equity shares of Rs 100 each in both entities, resulting in a 50 per cent equity holding in each joint venture, with the remaining stake ..

Waaree Energy Storage Raises Rs 10.03 Billio for 20 GWh Plant

Waaree Energy Storage Solutions Private, a subsidiary of Waaree Energies, has recently completed a strategic fund raise of around Rs 10.03 billion from a group of strategic investors, including family offices, high-net-worth individuals and institutional backers. The funding strengthens the company’s position in India’s rapidly expanding energy storage ecosystem.The capital raise forms part of an announced capital expenditure programme of nearly Rs 100 billion for setting up a 20 GWh advanced lithium-ion cell and battery pack manufacturing facility. The plant will manufacture high-performa..