Chief Minister Sai emphasised the importance of expanding Chhattisgarh's rail network to enhance social and economic development throughout the region.

Chhattisgarh CM Shri Vishnu Deo Sai meets Union Minister of Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw

********* Chief Minister Shri Sai and Union Minister of Railways Shri Vaishnaw discuss the status of new railway projects in Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Sai emphasised the importance of expanding Chhattisgarh's rail network to enhance social and economic development throughout the regionRailway Minister Shri Vaishnaw assured the Chief Minister that swift implementation of all four new rail projects would be prioritized *********

New Delhi, 17 July 2024///// Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai met with Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rail Bhawan on July 17. They discussed several pivotal railway projects aimed at enhancing connectivity and fostering economic growth in Chhattisgarh.

Chief Minister Shri Sai emphasised the importance of expanding Chhattisgarh's rail network to enhance social and economic development throughout the region. He urged the Union Minister to expedite four major railway projects in the state: the Dharamjaigarh-Pathalgaon New Line Project, the Lohardaga New Line Project, the Ambikapur-Barwadih New Line Project, the Kharsia-Naya Raipur-Parmalaksa New Rail Line Project, and the Raoghat-Jagdalpur New Rail Line Project.

Dharamjaigarh-Pathalgaon-Lohardaga New Line Project

The length of the project is 240 km. The project will enhance connectivity between north Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, linking towns like Pathalgaon, Kunkuri, Jashpur Nagar, Gumla, etc. He stated that work on the Korba-Dharmjaygarh project is in progress. There is a plan to connect the industrial (Korba) region with Lohardaga (Ranchi) through this project. Apart from this, it will connect the region with central India through Korba and Ranchi in the east. The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 16,000 crore.

Ambikapur-Barwadih New Line Project

This is probably the longest-pending demand of people in any region of the country for rail connectivity and will connect Ambikapur, North Chhattisgarh, with Barwadih, Jharkhand. The construction of this line will provide an alternate route for coal transportation and other minerals in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

This project, which has an approximate cost of Rs 9,000 crore, holds significant importance as it will provide an alternate route from the eastern region to the western part of the country via Chhattisgarh and thus will help better integrate the local economy with the rest of the country. The length of the project is 200 km.

Kharsia-New Raipur-Parmalkasa new railway line project

The proposed project, which is 277 km long, will provide an alternative route for the evacuation of coal from SECL and MCL coalfields to the western region of the country. This also bypasses Bilaspur and Raipur stations and provides connectivity to the cement-rich region of Balodabazar. Shivrinarayan, a pilgrimage town, will also be connected through this project. The approximate cost of the project is about Rs. 8,000 crore.

Rowghat-Jagdalpur new railway line project

The railway is already constructing the 95-kilometre Dallirajhara-Rowghat new railway line. Extending this line to Jagdalpur is crucial for the economic and social development of the tribal area. The new line will facilitate the transport of iron ore from the mineral-rich Bastar region to steel industries in Chhattisgarh. Additionally, it will promote economic and social development in the tribal areas of Bastar, Kondagaon, and Narayanpur. The estimated cost of the project is approximately Rs 3500 crore.

The Union Minister of Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, acknowledged the strategic importance of these projects and assured the Chief Minister that their swift implementation would be prioritised. He emphasised that these initiatives are crucial for the holistic development of Chhattisgarh and reiterated that these projects would receive top priority.