The demand for the railway line from Kantabanji to Jeypore via Raj Khariar, Ampani and Nabarangpur covering a distance 220 km has been renewed by the people of Khariar area once again during recent visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the district.
The Khadial Vikash Manch, a civil society group of Khariar, has submitted a memorandum to the CM requesting early action by the Odisha Government in this regard.
Historical records reveal that the Bengal - Nagpur Railway (BNR) survey to lay this railway line was done in the year 1943 to connect Bastar of MP State to Titlagarh of Odisha. Survey stones laid at the time are still found in different villages of Khariar and Sinapali blocks of Nuapada district. The importance of this line in every respect is still there and it is still considered that, construction of this line would result in healthy socio-economic growth of the KBK region, which is inhabited mainly by tribals, including PVTG (particularly vulnerable tribals groups) like Dongaria, Kondh, Chakotia Bhunjia, Paharia and Kutia Kondh etc.
The Manch had conducted a survey of the BNR stones long back in 2004. A memorandum of demand for construction of this line, which would connect the KBK region to the other parts of the country, was submitted to the then Railway Minister in the year 2005. The Manch also continuously made correspondence with the Railway Ministry, Railway Board and Chairman of East Coast Railway. The then BJP MP late Bikram Keshari Sing Deo also took efforts towards impressing upon the Central Government to place fund for the survey and consequently, in the 2008-09 Railway Budget, an amount of Rs 10.91 lakh was placed for RET (Reconnaissance Engineering-cum-Traffic) survey of this line.
Survey Solutions, a Bhopal based company, was appointed in 2010-11 for the land, electricity, and signal survey, which has already submitted their findings to the East Coast Railway, Koraput-Vishakapatnam division. The ECR has also obtained traffic data to finalise the cost analysis (ROR rate of returns) from the district Collectors of Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts, which would be covered by this railway line and it is learnt that, the data have been provided to the Railway Board for sanction of the project.
In response to a Parliament question of Kalahandi MP Arka Keshari Deo, the Deputy General Manager, EC Railway, has reported that, the RET survey for a new line between Kantabanji - Raj Khariar-Ampani-Nabarangpur-Jaypore vide blue book of 2014-15 has been completed. He has also further mentioned that, the estimate and survey reports are under finalization.
The districts like Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkanangiri, Nabarangpur and Koraput remain most backward due to lack of infrastructure. Nabarangpur district does not have a single km of railway route as per survey made by the Government of India in 2001. Railway has covered only 31.8 km of line in the border area of Nuapada district. “If this railway line is taken up, it will cover the above mentioned four districts and benefit the whole of Odisha in general and people of KBK region in particular,” said Khadial Vikash Manch secretary Tapan Dash who is spearheading the demand for the line.
“The Manch has also discussed about this issue with the MlAs of Kantabanji, Khariar, Nabarangpur and Jeypore in this regard, and they have assured us that they would take us the issue with the Odisha Government,” added Dash.