In a decisive push to complete one of Odisha’s longest-pending railway projects, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, on Friday chaired a high-level review meeting on the Talcher-Bimalagarh new broad-gauge railway line.
Held at Lok Seva Bhawan, the meeting focused sharply on the remaining land acquisition hurdles that have delayed the 149.78-km project for over two decades. “Public interest must come first. Remaining land must be acquired and transferred free of obstacles without further delay so that construction can move at full speed,” Dr. Padhee emphasised.
Approved way back in 2003-04, the project requires a total of 2,144.028 acres. So far, 1,868.357 acres have been acquired, leaving 275.671 acres still pending — comprising 202.15 acres of private land, 13.7 acres of forest land and 59.821 acres of government land. Stage-I forest clearance is currently underway, while the process for alienation of government land is also in progress. The alignment passes through Anugola, Debagada and Sundaragada districts — regions that stand to gain significantly from improved rail connectivity.
Officials discussed pending compensation cases, court disputes and the proper transfer of already-acquired land to the railways. Railway Coordination Commissioner Kaustuv Dipta Pani, Debagada Collector Kabindra Kumar Sahu, Presiding Officer Abhijit Palei and other senior officers were present.
Once completed, the Talcher-Bimalagarh line is expected to transform transport links in economically underdeveloped areas, boosting trade, mobility and development. Dr. Padhee called for close coordination among all departments to resolve the remaining issues swiftly and ensure the project finally moves from paper to tracks.
With clear directions from the Revenue Department, hope is rising that this long-awaited broad-gauge corridor will soon become a reality for the people of western Odisha.
