Bhubaneswar: Soon after reelected to Rajya Sabha from Odisha for second consecutive time, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw today announced that Puri-Konark new rail line has been sanctioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and Rs 492 crore has also been sanctioned for construction of this 32 km long rail line.
In an interaction with the media here, Shri Vaishnaw said that the project has been sanctioned and funds are available. Work for this project will start just after getting land for construction of the rail line. Altogether, 217 acres of land is necessary for this project.
He also sought cooperation from the State Government in the field of land acquisition work.
Once the line is commissioned, this will promote Spiritual, Heritage and Coastal Tourism. Vistadome like train services will run in this line, he further announced.
The train will connect Konark Sun Temple with Shri Jagannath Temple. Jagannath culture will be promoted in the trains in this route. Apart from this, 4 to 5 tourist hubs will be made in this rail line.
Railways will be in coordination with Jagannath Temple Administration for promotion of Jagannath culture in the Rail section, he added.
Apart from this, Shri Vaishnaw said that 409 Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) in Odisha have been constructed in the last 10 years and 220 ROBs & RUBs are now in progress in the State.
He also released five Commemorative Postage Stamps on Legendary Poets of Odisha and Cultural Heritage of Western Odisha through video conferencing from Bhubaneswar.
He also inaugurated 42 Branch Post Offices of 07 Districts of Western Odisha. Union Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan graced the function at Biju Patnaik Auditorium, Sambalpur University, Burla.
