With the Container Corporation of India ltd (CONCOR) coming out to fund a crucial rail project of Odisha, a very important step has been taken in the State’s railway infrastructure planning and development.
The CONCOR will participate in the crucial new project of Angul-Sukinda railway line with a 26-per cent equity share investment in the Angul-Sukinda Railway ltd (ASRl).The project would be implemented under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode to provide a vital alternative rail link to the Angul-based steel plants with the Keonjhar-Bansapani iron ore belt and the Talcher coalfield to the Kalinganagar industrial belt.
The Rail Vikas Nigam ltd, the Odisha Government, the Odisha Mining Corporation, the JSPl and the Idco are the other stakeholders of the joint venture company.CONCOR CMD Anil Kumar Gupta handed over the consent letter for releasing Rs100 crore out of the CONCOR’s total equity amount of Rs156 crores to Angul-Sukinda Railway ltd MD Dilip Kumar Samantaray in New Delhi on November 3.
In the process, the CONCOR would also develop two Multi Modal logistic Parks (MMlPs) at Parjang and Duburi stations of the new rail line to expand the State’s container traffic. State Chief Secretary GC Pati has assured all assistance from the State Government for land acquisition for the two CONCOR depots.
The Angul-Sukinda Railway authorities have stated that after this agricultural cultivation season, work for the new rail line will commence in full swing as the State Government has arranged the required entire private and Government lands for the project.It is expected that the project will be completed by June 2018.