___________

Following is an excerpt from a the Lok Sabha transcript of 20th October 2008.

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): What he has done? He has taken one railway factory to his constituency, another factory to his wife’s constituency, and the third one to the UPA Chairperson’s constituency. … (Interruptions) We are nowhere.  Shall we be eligible to get any rail factory any time in life? … (Interruptions) People say that now-a-days jobs are being given in the Railways by taking land from them. … (Interruptions)

MR. CHAIRMAN: Please go to your seat. Let the Minister reply. I will give him time.

… (Interruptions)

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Even now the Ministers in the Government are becoming Ministers by giving land in this country. … (Interruptions)

1707 hours

(At this stage, Shri Ram Kripal Yadav and some other hon. Members

 came and stood near the Table.)

… (Interruptions)

MR. CHAIRMAN: If you do not go, I have no other way but to adjourn the House. If you want me to adjourn the House, then I will adjourn it.

… (Interruptions)

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): It is because of this only. … (Interruptions) This is happening and nothing else. I strongly object to what is being done by the Railways. … (Interruptions)

MR. CHAIRMAN: Please go to your seats. If you do not go, I have no other way but to adjourn the House.

          The House stands adjourned to meet tomorrow, the 21^st October, 2008 at 11 a.m.

One wonder if Lalu Yadav is the Minister of Railways for India or the Minister of Railways for UPA or the Minister of Railways for Bihar?

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Business Standard.

The Orissa government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Titanium Products Private Limited (TPPL), an Indo-Russian joint venture, for setting up of a Rs 2000 crore integrated titanium complex and sector specific special economic zone (SEZ) at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.

SM Shroff , chairman of TPPL and the state industry secretary, A P Padhi signed the documents in the presence of chief minister, Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat.

The company will invest about Rs 2000 crore in two phases. While the first phase will cost about Rs 1200 crore, another Rs 800 crore will be invested in the second phase. The first phase will be completed within a period of 24 months and is likely to be commissioned by October 2010. It will produce 1,08,000 tonnes of titanium slag, 68,000 tonnes of high purity pig iron, 40,000 tonnes of di-oxide pigment and 10,000 tonnes of titanium sponge.

TPPL has already entered into an agreement with the Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL) for the supply of the raw material Ilminite. The company will require about 2 lakh tonnes of Ilminite annually for its project. India will be the fourth country in the world to have smelting technology required for production of titanium. The products will have applications in the field of aircraft engine, power plants, chemical plants, automobile industry as titanium is light and corrosion resistant.

TPPL will develop a sector specific special economic zone (SEZ) at its plant site for which it has received the in-principle approval from the Centre. However, it will require additional land beyond 250 acres acquired for the titanium complex.

The Orissa government has agreed to supply 65 Mw of power and 3 million gallon per day water for the project.

Speaking on the occasion chief minister Naveen Patnaik  … He said, the project is the anchor industry for a sector specific SEZ for establishment of downstream industries in sectors like high quality paint manufacturing, automotive casting, ductile iron casting, sillicon and zircon based products.

Patnaik said, the upcoming port at Gopalpur and the integrated titanium complex are the foundations for an industrial corridor in southern Orissa. These will further be integrated with the aluminium hinterland in Kalahandi, Koraput anfd Raygada. For the purpose, he has requested the railway ministry to take up the Therubali-Gunupur railway connectivity at the earliest.

Stating that establishment of a quality vocational educational institution offering the most modern trades relevant for the industry will be an important initiative in the skill upgradation of the local youth, Patnaik said, TPPL should explore such possibility. Besides, it should develop partnership with the local technical institutions.

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 FAX: PMO at 23016857 , 23015603 (Delhi STD code is 11), CMO at 674 2590 833 (home) 674 2535 100 (office) and Planning Commission at 23096699

To:

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister of India

Cc: Mr. Naveen Patniak, Chief Minister of Orissa

Cc: Shri Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Governor of Orissa

 
Subject: Solving the greater Kandhamala problem – going after the root cause in a war footing

Dear Dr. Singh: 

While the civil society in Orissa, the nation and the world is disturbed by the  communal violence in Kandhamala, I would urge you to take steps to eradicate the root cause of the violence in Kandhamala and the nearby tribal, hilly, forested, awfully connected, poor and backward districts of Orissa (and its neighboring states). In this regard, please note that the violence did not spread to the major towns and cities of Orissa (such as Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Balasore etc.)  that are well connected (by Rail and roads), decently developed and have a civil society. 

While the violence involving the murder of Swami Laxmanananda on August 23^rd 2008 and the subsequent communal violence that has taken about 40 lives is most deplorable and is in the forefront of the media, please also recall the following events that also took place within the last year in these areas:

1. February 15 2008:  400 to 500 armed Naxals raided the Nayagarh armory and killed 15 people including 13 policemen.
2. June 29 2008: 30 elite anti-insurgency policemen were killed by Maoists near Malkangiri.
3. July 16 2008:  21 Orissa policemen were killed in a land mine explosion and firing by the ultras in Malkangiri.
4. Dec 27 2007: Eleven churches were ransacked and torched in several areas of Kandhamal district.

Please note that these events happened in places in Orissa (Nayagarh, Malkangiri and Kandhamal) that are badly connected, near or within forests, have a large tribal population, and are among the most backward districts of India. The following map shows these districts are surrounded by large tracts of dense and open forested areas, and partly explains why the naxalites and Maoists are able to make them their base and why it has been difficult to deploy adequate police there in a timely manner.

Sir: As an economist and a world leader you must know that lack of connectivity, lack of development, lack of a civil society, entrenched forest and mountainous areas together with a different population base is a recipe for the sprouting of troubled areas. This is true all across the world; from J& K and North eastern areas of India to caucuses in Asia. While one cannot and should not get rid of the mountains or the people, the problem can be solved by making the areas well connected and bringing development. The Indian government is doing that in J & K and in the northeast; but has mostly forgotten about the similar areas in Orissa, Chhatisgrah, and Andhra Pradesh, which are the favorite bases of the Naxals and Maoists.

Sir: We would like you to pay the same attention to these areas in terms of connectivity, development, and creation of civil societies, as you do to the North east and J & K. In particular we would request that following be done in a war footing during the 11^th plan.

(i)                  The Vijaywada-Ranchi highway that passes through many of these areas be completed.

(ii)                Broadband connectivity be brought to these districts with adequate access locations.

(iii)                Two Railway lines, parts of which have already been sanctioned by the Railways but are progressing slowly, are completed and made operational. Those lines are:

a.       Khurda Rd – Balangir (passes through Nayagarh and Boudh) – This line was sanctioned in 1994-95 is progressing very slowly.

b.      Bhadrachalam Rd (Andhra Pradesh) – Malkangiri – Jeypore – Nabarangpur – Junagarh – Lanjigarh Rd – passing through Kandhamala – Boudh – Angul – Talcher – Bimlagarh: Several segments of these lines are approved but progressing slowly. Those segments are Junagarh – Lanjigarh Rd and Talcher – Bimlagarh. Angul – Talcher is operational.

(iv)              With the above lines operational, development should be brought into Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati, and KBK districts (including Kalahandi and Malkangiri) through 1-2 Rail factories and public sector units that can use the steel and aluminum and power produced in abundance in Orissa.

(v)                Orissa govt. should be encouraged and aided to establish a university in Kandhamala and another in Kalahandi.

(vi)              A branch of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University be established in one of these districts.

(vii)             Orissa govt. should be encouraged and aided to establish a government medical college and nursing college in Kandhamala or Boudha district.

Sir:  In regards to the cost of establishing the Railway lines, please note that as per the calculation in  http://kbkrail.orissalinks.com/ Indian Railways is scheduled to make a profit of 2679.72 crores/year from its operations in Orissa. If 1500 crores of this money (the rest may go to Indian Railway’s current plans for Orissa) is put into Orissa, in just 2-3 years the above mentioned lines could be completed.

Sir: We sincerely hope that you will translate the great concern you have shown towards the recent violent events to the above mentioned action items that address the key issues of lack of connectivity and development in these areas and thus provide a long term and real solution.

Sincerely

Appendix:

1. Estimated profit Indian Railways will make from Orissa in 2008-09:

2.  One of the earlier planning commissions has noted in http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/stateplan/sdr_orissa/sdr_orich2.doc

“Railways have always played an important role in economic development and rapid social transformation in all parts of the globe. It is one of the key economic infrastructures. However, it is most unfortunate that in a poor and backward state like Orissa, development of rail networks has received much less attention of the Central Government in the post-independence period. There are as many as seven districts like Boudh, Kandhamal, Deogarh, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur out of the 30 districts of the state, which do not have any railway line passing through them. In the year 1998-99, the density of railway route length per 1000 sq. km of area in Orissa was only 15.03 km as against 42.66 km in West Bengal and 19.11 km. at all-India level”.

3. The tribal population percentage of the KBK districts are as follows:  Malkangiri  58.36% ST  (+19.96% SC),  Rayagada 56.04% ST  (+14.28% SC),  Nabarangpur 55.27% ST (+15.09% SC), Koraput 50.67% ST (+13.41% SC), Nuapada 35.95%  ST(+13.09% SC), Kalahandi 28.88% ST (+17.01% SC), Sonepur 22.11% ST (+9.5% SC), Balangir 22.06% ST (+15.39% SC). Two adjacent districts also have high tribal population. They are Kandhamala 51.51% ST (+18.21% SC) and Gajapati 47.88%  ST(+8.77% SC). 

4. The literacy rates in the KBK districts are abysmally low. Malkangiri 31.26%, Nabarangpur 34.26%, Rayagada 35.61%, Koraput 36.2%, Nuapada 42.29%, Kalahandi 46.2%, Balangir 54.93%, Sonepur 64.07%. Two adjacent districts also have low literacy: Gajapati 41.73% and Kandhamala 52.95%. The state average is 63.1%.

5. Population below the poverty line in southern Orissa (of which KBK is a part) is reported to be 89.17% of the people according to the 1999-2000 NSS data and 72% of the families according to the 1997 census.

Update: See also http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/arcelor-mittal-plans-captive-port-in-orissa/354536/.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Pragativadi.

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted South Korean steel major Posco to set up Rs 51,000-crore mega steel plant and captive minor port at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district.

A special environmental bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan allowed Posco India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of South Korea-based Posco, to go ahead with its plans.

With this order, the apex court has also cleared forest diversion proposal for the plant site which require 1253.225 hectares of forest land.

The court, while directing the Orissa government to dispose of all the Posco’s applications seeking prospecting licences within four weeks, also asked the state government to send its recommendations to the ministry of environment and forests that would proceed in accordance with law.

The bench also asked the state government to undertake implementation of compensatory afforestation plan under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee comprising top officials of the state government.

… Posco counsel Mukul Rohtagi contended that the state government-owned Orissa Mining Corporation had agreed to supply uninterrupted iron ore and other minerals for its steel project and had identified mines in the western part of the state, some 300 km away from its project site.

… The company can source raw materials on its own and can buy the same from the open market, he said, adding that the company is not dependent on prospecting licence.

New lines: http://eastcoastrailway.gov.in/common/department-division-info/construction/new-lines.htm

	Daitari – Banspani (155 Km.)
	Koraput – Rayagada (164 Km.)
	Khurda – Bolangir (289 Km.)
	Talcher – Sambalpur (174.112 Km.)
	Langigarh Rd. – Junagarh (56 Km.)
	Haridaspur – Paradeep (82 Km.)
	Sukinda Road – Angul (98 Km.)
	Talcher – Bimalgarh (154 Km.)

New lines under survey: http://eastcoastrailway.gov.in/common/department-division-info/construction/new-lines-under-survey.htm

Following is the news report on the discussion (almost a confrontation) with the Railway Board Chair, as reported in India Abroad. The basic premise behind our grievances against Indian Railways and our demands is simple.

• Indian railways is scheduled to make 2500-3000 crores/year from Orissa, but spends only 1000 crores/year on Orissa in terms of new lines, doubling and gauge conversion.
• Its current plan for major spending includes freight corridors, metro rails, and high speed rails, none of which touch Orissa. It plans to do gauge conversion of 12000 kms, most of which is unprofitable (this proves that Indian Railway lies when it says it only does profitable lines), very little (less than 100 km) of which is in Orissa.
• Orissa is already behind the national average in terms of rail density and way behind its neighbors such as West Bengal and Bihar. If no changes are made to the 11th plan IR allocations Orissa will further fall behind.
• Indian Railways must not take money from its profit in Orissa, and spend it else where, until it takes care of proper connectivity to Orissa’s tribal, backward and maoist infested areas. The 2500-3000 times 5 = 12,500 -15,000 crore that Indian Railways will profit from Orissa during the 11th plan must be spend in new lines in Orissa until the (i)-(v) lines below and other port and mine connectivity lines are completed during the 11th plan.
• To Mr. Jena’s retort that Mumbai earns so much in taxes and not all of it is spent in Mumbai; we reply that it is often acceptable to take from rich and give to poor; But when did it become acceptable to take from poor (Orissa) and give to rich (freight corridors etc. in other states)?

The lines in Orissa connecting to the tribal and backward areas that we demand to be finished during the 11th plan are:

• (i) Khurda Rd – Nayagarh – Balangir: Lack of connectivity was one of the reasons a recent Maoist mayhem happened in Nayagarh. It seems after recent events, including the confrontation with the Railway Board Chair and various dharanas in Bhubaneswar, IR has started responding to this demand, but not to the extent to promise its completion during the 11th plan. Note that Balangir is the B in the KBK districts that are the most backward in India.
• (ii) Lanjigarh Rd – Junagarh – Nabarangpur – Jeypore – Malkangiri – Bhadrachalam Rd in Andhra Pradesh: Only small part of this is approved. Most of it is not even surveyed. In the long run this will really bring those parts of Orissa closer to the rest of Orissa. This is the most important connection and has to be take care of at the earliest. Like the approved Vijaywada-Ranchi highway, this line will create an alternative Hyderabad – Ranchi path passing through backward and tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand. This line will connect the Kalahandi and Koraput districts, the two K’s in KBK. The recent Maoist attack and killing of the Greyhound forces in Malkangiri might have been prevented if this line existed as then the forces would have used the train rather than being seating ducks taking a boat across a lake in Malkangiri.
• (iii a) Rayagada – Gopalpur: This has been surveyed and but work on it has not started. Note that Rayagada is part of the undivided Koraput district, one of the K’s of KBK. This line could come under port connectivity and will be a viable line connecting the industries near Rayagada with the upcoming port in Gopalpur.
• (iii b) Gunupur – Theruvali: This will add to the Naupada-Gunupur line and make it an economically viable line. (IR and Mr. Jena agree about its importance.) This line will be completely inside the Raygada district, part of the undivided Koraput district, one of the K’s of KBK.
• (iv) Talcher – Bimlagarh (connectivity to the tribal district of Sundergarh): This line has been approved but is only being given a few crores each year, which is less than the inflation. This line will reduce the distance between Sundergarh district and teh coastal areas significantly. For example, it will make Rourkela only 4-5 hrs from Bhubaneswar.
• (v) Baripada/Buramara – Chakulia: This line will connect the tribal district of Mayurbhanj to tribal areas of Jharkhand. It will add to the Rupsa-Baripada-Bangiriposi line and make it an economically viable line. (IR and Mr. Jena agree about its importance.)

All these lines can be completed if Indian railways just suspends its practice of taking from poor (Orissa) and giving to the rich for only a few years (may be just 3-4 years). The following maps show the above mentioned lines.

Following is  from a report in New Indian Express.

The State Government will lease out unused land of Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) at Cuttack, Baripada and here to the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for commercial purpose.

The OSRTC has prime land at Master Canteen, Pala Mandap in Cuttack and Baripada town. The corporation will lease out the Master Canteen land to RIL for 33 years for Rs 20 crore. Reliance has proposed to open retail outlets and has agreed to pay a monthly rental of Rs 15 lakh.

The company has reportedly deposited Rs 6 crore with the Government for the OSRTC land at Baripada town. However, OSRTC will collect monthly rent from RIL for all the leased out plots. Rent will be revised every five years.

The proceeds from leased out land will be invested for procurement of more buses and modernisation of the Government bus stands.

In the first phase, five bus stands at Angul, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Sambalpur will be modernised under the public-private partnership.

While the bus stands of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur will be renovated, two new bus stands will be developed at Angul and Dhenkanal.

The public utility has 230 on road buses and plans are afoot to add another 50 to its fleet. The corporation has submitted a proposal to the Government for pay revision of the employees, official sources said.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Sajjan Jindal-controlled the JSW Steel group is planning to set up a Rs 2,000 crore port project in the Bhadrak district of Orissa.

Addressing the media, Sajjan Jindal, vice chairman and managing director, JSW Steel said, a place near Bhadrak district had been identified and it was right outside the border of West Bengal. The earlier plan was to participate in Bengal’s proposed deep sea port project.

… The proposed port in Orissa would have an initial capacity of 25-30 million tonnes and would take 3-4 years to execute the project. The port would handle large vessels and carry out dredging to increase the draft to 18.5 metres and would be executed by group company, JSW Infrastructure & Logistics.

The port would support import of raw materials and export of finished goods of the 10 million steel plants in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

This news appeared in many places (eg. Hindu) , but they all wrongly mention Bhadrakh district. The mouth of Subarnarekha and the district adjacent to West Bengal is Balasore, not Bhadrakh.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

The $250 million World Bank loan will go a long way for the development of roads, said state works minister A.U. Singhdeo. The government would share 20 per cent of the total cost of the World Bank-funded Orissa state road project, added the minister.

With the loan amount, 461km of roads would be upgraded to two-lane. A damaged high-level bridge over the Banshadahra near Gumuda would be renovated, too.

Out of the 461km of the road, construction of 204km would be taken up in the phase-I package, while the rest of 257km would developed in phase-II of the project.

The phase-I package would include Bhawanipatna-Khariar road (68km), Chandbali-Bhadrak-Anandpur road (95km) and Berhampur-Taptapani road (41km).

Taptapani-Raipanka road (68km), Raipanka-JK Pur road (83km) and Jagatpur-Chandbali road (106km) would come under the second package.

Besides the above six roads, feasibility reports and bid documents for widening of Sambalpur-Rourkela road (165km), Joda-Bambry road (18km) and Koira-Tensa-Lahunipara road (46 km) under public-private participation mode is under preparation.

The World Bank is also financing the cost of consultancy services, revealed a senior official of the state works department.

Following is from http://rc.orissa.gov.in/index3.asp?linkid=30&sublinkid=593.

Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa had a meeting with Shri K.C.Jena, Chairman, Railway Board today and emphasized the need for expansion and augmentation of railway infrastructure in the State of Orissa as it is on the threshold of a major industrial upsurge. This will necessitate laying of new rail links, construction of elaborate rail terminals and bulk cargo handling points. He pointed out that the railway route length in Orissa is well below the national average and also much less than the neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar.

The CM mentioned that there has been very little progress of Khurda Road-Bolangir railway line and the Ministry of Railways have allocated only Rs.32 crores during 2008-09 and stressed for increased allocation.

The CM has drawn the attention of the Chairman to the KBK districts which have a high percentage of tribal population and stressed the need for sanction of Jeypore-Malkanglri (117 Kms) line for which survey has already been completed. He further stated that advent of railways would lead to socio-economic development in that region.

He also informed that the Government of Orissa has entered into MOUs for setting up two alumina plants in the region and in this context, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh new B.G. rail link assumes significance. He desired that the section between Lanjigarh and Bhawanipatna should be commissioned early.

He has also reiterated Government of Orissa’s interest for development of Gopalpur, Dhamra and Subarnarekha mouth (Kirtania) ports into all weather ports along its coast line and stressed that railway lines connecting Rupsa-Burhamara to Chakulia (50 kms), Nuapada-Gunupur B.G. Rail link to Theruvali (79 kms) and Banspani-Barbil for which preliminary surveys have been completed assume critical importance for movement of in bound and out bound traffic likely to be generated by the coastal ports, industries as well as mines in the hinterland

He underlined the need for expeditiously completing the residual work on Daitari-Banspani B.G.Rail Link and to introduce an intercity express between Bhubaneswar-Jamshedpur via Keonjhar. He also desired early commissioning of Cuttack-Barang doubling. The Chairman, Railway Board assured Hon�ble C.M. that Puri-Keonjhargarh Coaching Train services will be introduced before October, 2008.

Since the lack of adequate rail infrastructure has hindered the socio-economic growth of the State, he impressed upon the need to consider increased allocation of funds to ensure speedy execution of the sanctioned projects and also sanctioning of the new projects, surveys. He expressed happiness for identifying Bhubaneswar as one of the locations for construction of a world class railway station.

He also emphasized the need for introduction of new trains, extension and increase in frequency of mail/express trains, improved passenger amenities at stations etc to meet the aspirations of the people of Orissa and the developmental needs of a fast growing economy. He pointed out that although four new trains and one extension were announced in the Railway Budget of 2008-09, they have not yet been introduced and requested for early introduction of these trains.

The CM also desired early normalization of Balasore-Kharagpur section and restoration of normal coaching services as nineteen trains still stand cancelled because of the breach of railway track between Contai Road and Bakhrabad due to the recent floods.

The Chairman, Railway Board assured the Hon’ble C.M. to expedite all the above Projects of Railways in Orissa

The Chief minister’s requests were reasonable as it was made to the Railway Board chair who can only do things within the set parameters. The CM needs to go to the planning commission and the PM to make a broader request of complete connectivity to KBK+ and other adivasi districts within five years. The important parts he missed emphasizing are:

• Junagarh – Nabarangpur – Jeypore; Malkangiri – Bhadrachalam – Bhadrachalam Rd
• Talcher – Bimlagarh

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The state government has decided to upgrade the Angul-Chendipada road keeping in view the scores of industries and mining projects coming up in the area. The cost of this road work is estimated at RS 150 crore which will be shared by the industries including the public sector Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd (MCL).

…

At present, there is a 51.5 km long single narrow road from Angul to Budapal. A blue print has, meanwhile, been prepared to double the width of the road. The road expansion works would be executed by the state works department, according to the Executive Engineer (Roads), Sanjay Sahu, here.

The project includes construction of a by-pass around Angul town to link up the proposed road with the NH 42 instead of jamming traffic in the town, he added.

As per the proposal, eight industries will contribute funds for the construction of 23 km long Angul-Kosala section of the road doubling work while MCL will bear the cost of next 17 km long road connecting Kosala to Chhendipada. The next patch of the road will be upgraded by another group of industries beyond Chhendipda.

However, the construction of Angul by-pass will be shared by these industries equally, Sahu added. The industries which will be funding the road project include MCL, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, Monnet Ispat and Energy Ltd, Kalinga Coal Mining Ltd, Tata Sponge, Rugta Mines, Utkal Coal Ltd and others.

As per a report in Telegraph these routes are:

• Jaleswar – Kirtania on Subarnarekha
• Balasore – Chandipur on Budhabalanga (12 km)
• Rajnagar – Aul , Aul – Aetepur and Singhapur – Aul on Kharsuan (63 km)
• Rushikulya – Badanadi on Rushikulya
• Netapur – Pathna on Kushabhadra
• Kundhei – Siroi on Prachi
• Balabhadrapur – Nuagarh on Daya (9 km)

Following is an excerpt from that report in Telegraph.

The state government has initiated steps to conduct surveys to identify river stretches having the potential for detailed hydro-graphic surveys and detailed project reports.

Rail India Techno Economic Services (RITES) has been engaged by the state government for conducting the studies, …

As many as 13 rivers … were identified by the government for the studies.

Of them, a 12km stretch of Budhabalang, three stretches comprising a total of 63km in the Kharsuan and 9km of the Daya have been identified for further detailed hydro-graphic surveys and traffic studies to be conducted by RITES.

Also locations, for the provision of infrastructure, would also be identified in these stretches, officials said.

According to preliminary studies, the identified rivers have enough potential and economic viability to serve as an effective waterway.

RITES has, therefore, suggested the development of an inland water transport corridor comprising three stretches of the Kharsuan river from Rajnagar to Aul-Singhpur-Aetpur and extend it up to Jajpur along the Brahmani.

The body has proposed to develop another corridor on the Daya up to Balugaon on the banks of the Chilika lake.

At present, the state directorate of ports and inland water transports run passenger launch services in Chandbali, Chilika and Astarang.

Initiatives are being taken by the directorate to start motor launch service in reservoirs of major and medium dam projects.

A river project report for construction of jetties and waiting halls in navigational routes at a cost of Rs 5.34 crore, prepared by ocean engineering centre of the IIT, Chennai, has been submitted to Nabard for assistance under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund.

Earlier we discussed the national waterway 5. It seems finally the state government has woken up and ready to do its part. Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

Plans are afoot to develop a national waterway (NW-5) connecting the Brahmani and Mahanadi with the now-defunct East Coast Canal of the British days, extending up to Geonkhali in Bengal, at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore.

As a follow-up measure, the Orissa government today set up a task force, headed by the development commissioner and secretaries of water resources, commerce and transport, forest and environment and revenue departments, to work out an action plan.

… The proposed waterway is being seen as an alternative to the congested rail and road routes.

An estimated 18.07 million tonnes of inland water transport traffic is expected to be carried out on the waterway in the 10th year of its commissioning, said commerce and transport secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra.

Cargo, such as coal, fertiliser, cement, iron ore, paddy, rice, seeds, coconut, wheat, sugar, edible oils, bamboo, straw, jute and industrial products may be transported through the route.

The proposed waterway includes a 91km stretch in Bengal (Geonkhali to Nasirabad), while the rest (532km) would be in Orissa.

A bill was introduced in Parliament on December 8, 2006, for the declaration of the Talcher-Dhamra stretch of the Brahmani-Kharsuan-Dhamra rivers, Geonkhali-Charbatia stretch of the East Coast Canal, Charbatia-Dhamra stretch of the Matai and the Mahanadi delta rivers between Mangalgadi and Paradip as national waterways.

… Preparation of the detailed project report has been entrusted with the Gurgaon-based Wapcos (India) Limited, while the preparation of the final report is underway.

Similarly, environmental impact assessment study and preparation of environment management plan are also on, Mohapatra said.

New Delhi-based CES (India) Private Limited submitted the final draft report of the environmental impact study to the Union government last year.

While the Union government would be funding the project, the state government will provide the required land, free of cost.

The land acquisition process and rehabilitation of people living along the 100m wide corridor is to be initiated by the government, besides providing technical details and data to consultants for completing the detailed project report.

The major works include construction of four barrages at an estimated cost of Rs 900 crore, renovation of 217km East Coast Canal, widening of narrow canals, modification of bridges and roads, bank protection and setting up four terminals at Talcher, Balasore, Nasirabad and Rajnagar.

The minimum bed width and depth of the waterway (for 406 river delta portion) will be 45m and 2m respectively to handle vessels of 500tonnes carrying capacity.

In the first phase, the bed width and depth for the 217km East Coast Canal portion will be 32m and 1.5m respectively for vessel size of 200 tonnes.

Following are excerpts from a report in the Economic Times.

A 12-member Chinese team will arrive here on July 12 on a week-long visit to inspect the railway stations at Bhubaneswar and Byppanahalli in Bangalore.

The countries had signed a Memorandum-of-Understanding (MoU) in this regard on January 14 during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Beijing. The agreement, valid for three years, envisages development of rail-related programmes of mutual interest.

The high-level delegation headed by Wu Wei, Director of Sino-India Railway Cooperation Working Group, will be assisted by RITES, which will provide details required for the work.

However, a senior official of the Railways Ministry said a preliminary assessment has revealed that the land available at Bhubaneswar railway station is inadequate for the project.

In that case, a nearby station at Baranga may be chosen for development into a world class station, he said, adding a final decision will be taken only after consultations with the Chinese team.
…

“After visiting these places, the team will share their views with us about the way to go ahead with the project.”

Several new trains, extensions, and frequency increases relevant to Orissa were announced in the 2008-09 Railway budget and the subsequent debate in the parliament. Details about their timings and the route they will take will appear in the Time Table that is usually published on July 1st. Few days prior to that the major changes are released. Following are three such releases. From http://eastcoastrailway.gov.in/custom/press_release/index.php.

Ministry of Railways has decided to introduce eight new trains, extension of two trains, increase in frequency of two trains, speed up of seven trains and timings change for seven trains in ECoR jurisdiction in the New Time Table being implemented from 1st July’08:

NEW TRAINS

Two daily new trains, three weekly new trains, two bi-weekly new trains and one tri-weekly trains will be introduced in ECoR jurisdiction in the new Time Table. Introduction of these trains will be notified later.

One new bi-weekly Garib Rath Super Fast Express train will be introduced between Puri and Howrah. 2882 Puri-Howrah Garib Rath Super Fast Express train will leave Puri at 10.00p.m on every Monday and Wednesday and will arrive Howrah at 07.05a.m on the next days. Similarly, in the return direction, 2881 Howrah-Puri Garib Rath Super Fast Express will leave Howrah at 08.55p.m on every Tuesday and Thursday and will arrive Puri at 05.50a.m on the following days.

One new bi-weekly Super Fast Express train will be introduced between Bhubaneswar and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). 2880 Bhubaneswar – LTT Super Fast Express train will leave Bhubaneswar at 07.20a.m on every Monday and Thursday and will arrive LTT at 01.35p.m on the next days. Similarly, in the return direction, 2879 LTT-Bhubaneswar Super Fast Express will leave LTT at 00.15a.m on every Wednesday & Saturday (Midnight of Tuesday & Friday) and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 07.10a.m on the next days.

…

One new weekly Express train will be introduced between Puri and Darbhanga. 8419 Puri-Darbhanga Express train will leave Puri at 02.10p.m on every Thursday and will arrive Darbhanga at 11.05a.m on the next days. Similarly, in the return direction, 8420 Darbhanga-Puri Express will leave Darbhanga at 07.15a.m on every Saturday and will arrive Puri at 03.30a.m on the following days.

One new weekly Express train will be introduced between Bhagalpur and Yeshvantpur via Bhubaneswar. 2254 Bhagalpur-Yeshvantpur Super Fast Express train will leave Bhagalpur at 01.30p.m on every Wednesday and will arrive Yeshvantpur at 09.15a.m on the next 2nd days. Similarly, in the return direction, 2253 Yeshvantpur-Bhagalpur Super Fast Express will leave Yeshvantpur at 12.45p.m on every Saturday and will arrive Bhagalpur at 08.30p.m on the 2nd next day.

Another new weekly Express train will be introduced between New Dibrugarh Town and Yeshvantpur via Bhubaneswar. 5902 New Dibrugarh-Yeshvantpur Express train will leave New Dibrugarh at 06.45p.m on every Friday and will arrive Yeshvantpur at 12.10p.m on the next 2nd days. Similarly, in the return direction, 5901 Yeshvantpur-New Dibrugarh Express will leave Yeshvantpur at 11.55p.m on every Monday and will arrive New Dibrugarh at 08.00p.m on the 2nd next day.

One new daily Express train will be introduced between Puri and Keonjhargarh. 8416 Puri-Keonjhargarh Express train will leave Puri at 05.25a.m regularly and will arrive Keonjhargarh at 12.00 noon on the same day. Similarly, in the return direction, 8415 Keonjhargarh-Puri Express will leave Keonjhargarh at 01.00p.m and will arrive Puri at 08.30p.m.

Another new daily Express train will be introduced between Bhubaneswar and Paradeep. 8414 Bhubaneswar-Paradeep Express train will leave Bhubaneswar at 07.05a.m regularly and will arrive Paradeep at 09.45a.m. Similarly, in the return direction, 8413 Paradeep-Puri Express will leave Paradeep at 06.00p.m and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 09.10p.m.

EXTENSION:

Two bi-weekly express trains i.e. Nizamabad-Visakhapatnam bi-weekly and Varanasi-Ranchi bi-weekly will be extended to Sambalpur in the New Railway Time Table which will be notified later.

INCREASE IN FREQUENCY

The frequency of Bhubaneswar-Baripada-Bhubaneswar tri-weekly superfast express has been decided to increase the frequency to six days in a week from 30th June 2008. 2892 Bhubaneswar-Baripada Superfast Express will run daily w.e.f. 30th June 2008 except Saturdays from Bhubaneswar. Similarly, in the return direction, 2891 Baripada-Bhubaneswar Superfast Express will run daily w.e.f 1st July 2008 except Sundays from Baripada.

The frequency of Bhubaneswar-New Delhi-Bhubaneswar bi-weekly Rajdhani express has been decided to run as tri-weekly in the new Time Table which will notify later. 2421 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will run on every Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday. Similarly, in the return direction, 2422New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express will run on every Sunday, Monday and Friday in the new time table.

SPEED UP AND CHANGE IN TIMINGS

Seven trains have been speeded up in the new time-table including the timings of 14 trains at different stations have been changed. Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity Express, Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express, Okha-Puri Express, Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express , Raipur-Bhubaneswar Express, New Delhi-Puri Neelachal Express and Pondicherry-Bhubaneswar Express have been speeded up from 5 minutes to one hour 50 minutes from 1st July.

8411 Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 6.45a.m instead of 5.25a.m and will arrive Visakhapatnam at 02.35p.m instead of 02.10p.m. The timings for this train at other stations have also been changed.

8412 Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express will leave Visakhapatnam at 02.55 p.m. instead of 02.35 p.m. and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 11.20 p.m. instead of 10.55 p.m.

2801 Puri-New Delhi Purusottam Express will leave Puri at 09.45p.m instead of 10.00p.m and will arrive New Delhi at 05.05a.m instead of 04.55 a.m.

2896/2888 Puri-Howrah Weekly Express trains will leave Puri at 10.00p.m instead of earlier 09.45 p.m. and will arrive Howrah at 07.05a.m instead of 06.45 a.m.

2892 Bhubaneswar-Baripada Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 05.10p.m instead of 05.30p.m and will arrive Baripada at 10.10p.m instead of 10.30 p.m.

8304 Puri-Sambalpur Intercity Express will leave Puri at 03.45p.m instead of 04.30 p.m. and will arrive Sambalpur at 10.10 p.m. instead of 10.45 p.m.

8463 Bhubaneswar-Bangalore Prashanti Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 05.45 a.m. instead of 04.15 a.m. and will arrive Bangalore at 11.30a.m instead of 10.00 a.m.

222 Puri-Angul Passenger will leave Puri at 04.00 p.m. instead of 03.30 p.m. and will arrive Angul at 09.15 p.m. instead of 08.30 p.m.

2074 Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jana Shatabdi Express will leave Bhubaneswar at 06.20 a.m. instead of 06.00 a.m. and will arrive Howrah at 12.50 p.m.

8402 Okha-Puri Express leaving Okha at 07.15 a.m. will arrive Puri at 10.50 a.m. instead of 12.40 p.m.

8303 Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express will leave Sambalpur at 06.10 a.m. instead of 06.15 a.m. and will arrive Puri at 12.45 p.m. instead of 01.30 p.m.

8426 Raipur –Bhubaneswar Express will leave Raipur at 05.15 p.m. instead of 05.00 p.m. and will arrive Bhubaneswar at 07.35 a.m. instead of 07.45 a.m.

2816 New Delhi –Puri Neelachal Express leaving New Delhi at 06.30 a.m. will arrive Puri at 12.10 p.m. instead of 01.15 p.m.

2897 Pondicherry –Bhubaneswar Express leaving Pondicherry at 06.15 p.m. will arrive Bhubaneswar at 06.40 p.m. instead of 07.25 p.m.

The timings for many of these above trains at different stations have also been changed. Passengers are requested to enquire about the change of timings of the trains at different nearest stations to avoid inconvenience. Railway sources have also advised all concerned to dial "139" to know all details about new train services. This BSNL numbered can be dialed from any land line, GSM or CDMA connections.

From http://www.serailway.gov.in/hq/pro/default.htm.

• One pair of Bi-weekly Super Fast Garib Rath Express [2881/2882] between Howrah-Puri-Howrah
• One pair of Weekly Express [2254/2253] between Bhagalpur-Yesvantpur-Bhagalpur via Howrah and Kharagpur.
• One pair of Weekly Express [5902/5901] between New Dibrugarh Town-Yesvantpur via Howrah and Kharagpur.
• One pair of Bi-weekly Super Fast Express [2880/2879] between Bhubaneswar-LTT via Jharsuguda.
• One pair of Weekly Express [8419/8420] between Puri-Darbhanga via Kharagpur- Asansol.
• 8611/8612 Ranchi-Varanasi Express will be extended to run from Sambalpur twice a week with new number 8311/8312 as Sambalpur-Ranchi- Varanasi Express.
• 2021/2022 Howrah-Barbil Janshatabdi Express from existing six days a week to daily service with effect from 1st. July, 2008.
• 2421/2422 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Kharagpur and Adra from existing bi-weekly to tri-weekly.
• 2891/2892 Baripada-Bhubaneswar Express from existing tri-weekly to six days a week w.e.f. 1st. July, 2008 ex. Baripada.
• 2831/2832 Ranchi-Bhubaneswar Garib Rath Express will originate/terminate from/to Hatia instead of Ranchi with effect from 19th. August, 2008.

From the South Central railway ad:

• The biweekly Nizamabad-Visakhapatnam (8309/8310) express will be extended to Sambalpur. It will leave Sambalpur on Mondays and Fridays at 9:15 AM and reach Secunderabad at 8:20 AM and Nizamabad at 11:50 the next morning. It will leave Nizamabad at 18:35 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, leave Secunderabad at 21:45 and then reach Sambalpur at 21:30 the next day.
• Prashanthi Express timings have been changed effective July 1 to leave Bhubaneswar about 2 hours later than its original time. Earlier it used to leave Duvadda at 11:59. Now it will leave Duvadda at 13:42. It used to leave Bhubaneswar at 4:15 AM; now it will leave at 5:45 AM.

Hopefully now the work will get started.