BHUBANESWAR: The proposed Jajpur-Keonjhar Road (JJKR)-Dhamra new railway line project may soon become a reality.
In a significant move to boost regional connectivity, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has submitted the detailed project report (DPR) with the Railway Board for the 101-km new line earlier this month.
Estimated at Rs 2,996.82 crore, the project will have 10 stations between the originating and destination stations. It will connect important religious and tourist destinations in Jajpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts. It is expected to come into operation by 2027-28 with a gestation period of four years.
The project estimate included Rs 2,496.24 crore civil works, Rs 196 crore signal and telecommunication works and Rs 304 crore electrification works. Apart from two level crossings, 30 major and 88 minor bridges with a cumulative length of around eight km, 14 road overbridges and 37 road underbridges will be constructed for the project.
A part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Purvodaya vision, the new line will provide direct rail connectivity to Maa Biraja temple, one of the oldest religious Shakti peethas at Jajpur Town, famous Shaivite shrine of Baba Akhandalamani at Aradi in Bhadrak and Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara.
Railway sources said the line will pass through Chhota Raipur, Rampur Segadi, Bahabalpur, Jajpur Town, Jaleswarpur, Saipura, Mangalpur, Aradi, Chandabali and Bhitarkanika.
Two halt stations have been planned at Bahabalpur and Jaleswarpur. Nearly 657.06 hectares of land, including 532.75 hectares of private land and 5.17 ha forest land in both Jajpur and Bhadrak districts, will be acquired to construct 135.45 km length track for the project.
“The proposed line will reduce the distance between Jajpur Road and Dhamra by 12 km and benefit 30 lakh people. The average estimated cost of construction is Rs 29.59 crore per route km. The DPR has been sent to the Railway Board for approval. Once approved, tenders will be floated and the project will be ready within four years,” the sources said.
As per the DPR, the proposed line will not only expand economic activities of local industries and Dhamra port but also meet the needs of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. It will also facilitate transportation of minerals from Sukinda valley, Keonjhar and Talcher along with industrial goods from Angul and Kalinganagar.
Sanctioned in 2012-13, the final location survey of the project was completed recently. The proposed line with a 24.22 per cent rate of return (ROR) had been gathering dust until it was prioritised by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
