The Cabinet Committee Investment (CCI) Project Monitoring Group (CCI PMG) reviewed the progress of various ongoing investment projects in Odisha under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi at the State Secretariat here on Monday.
Principal Secretary of PPP and State PMG Pradeep Kumar Jena presented the updates of the projects and outlined the issues for discussion.
In reply to reporters’ queries, Prime Ministers’ Office Joint Secretary Subha Kuma said there has been substantial progress in the projects because of this collaborative action between the State and Central Government machineries.
A number of issues have been resolved. she said, adding, “We are quite satisfied by the progress.”
A total of 31 projects in railway, National Highway, irrigation, plastic and polymer cluster, coal block development and power sectors were reviewed. The issues flagged by the project proponents in the Central PMG portal were analysed and resolved.
Mainly, the issues raised by project developers related to forest clearance, DGPS survey, conduct of socio-economic impact studies, issue of FRA certificate, environmental clearance, rehabilitation against the land acquisition, distribution of compensatory awards and ex-gratia grants, starting of mining operations at the ground level.
Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan advised that the works on various fronts of the projects be started simultaneously than that of taking one work after the other. Chief Secretary Padhi directed to squeeze the timelines fixed earlier because of the rapid progress and complete the projects as quick as possible.
Padhi also set timelines against various phases of work in each project.
The principal railway projects reviewed in the meeting included Khurda-Bolangir new BG rail link estimated at `3,550 crore, Samabalpur-Bamur railway doubling estimated at ` 1,111 crore, Haridaspur-Paradeep rail link of 82 kms, Talcher-Bimlagarh new railway line estimated around ` 8,111 crore, Angul-Sukinda new line project estimated around ` 638 crore and Jharsuguda-Barpali-Sardega railway line with estimated cost of `700 crore and many other National Highway projects were reviewed.