Bolangir: Prime Minister of India has visited to Bolangir today and participated in a function and unveiled a basket of Government of India projects in Odisha worth Rs. 1,545 crores. This is the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s 3rd visit to Odisha in past one month. On his first visit to Khurdha, the Hon’ble PM launched Rs. 14, 523 crores worth of GoI projects for Odisha and during his second visit on 5th January, the Hon’ble PM inaugurated projects worth Rs. 4,733 crores, taking the total amount of projects Odisha has received in the past one month to Rs. 20, 801 crores. Among others His Highness Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal, Petroleum & Natural Gas & Skill development & Entrepreneur Minister Sri Drarmendra Pradhan, Opposition leader Odisha legislative Assembly, Sri Narasingha Mishra, Hon’ble MP, Bolangir, Sri Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo and Handloom, textile minister, Govt of Odisha, Mrs Snehagini Chhuria graced the occasion.
Details on the projects to be unveiled are annexed below.
| Basket of Projects for Hon’ble PM’s visit to Balangir on 15/01/2019 | |||||
| Sl. No. | Name of the Ministry | Name of Project | Project costs (In Crores) | Area/Distt | Status |
| 1 | MOHRD | Kendriya Vidyalaya , Sonepur | 15.8 | Sonepur | Foundation Laying |
| 2 | Ministry of Railways | Multi-Modal Logistics Park | 100 | Jharsuguda | Dedication |
| 3 | Ministry of Railways | New train on Balangir-Bichhupalli route | Balangir | Flagging off | |
| 4 | Ministry of Railways | Balangir-Bichhupalli (New railway Line) | 115 | Balangir | Inauguration |
| 5 | Ministry of Railways | Electrification of (i) Jharsuguda-Vizianagaramand (ii) Sambalpur-Angul linesTotal Length-813 Km | 1085 | Balangir | Dedication |
| 6 | Ministry of Railways | Doubling of the lines (i) Barpali-Dungaripaliand (ii) Balangir-Deogaon road
Total Length-31.56 Km |
189.32 | Bargarh | Ready for Dedication |
| 7 | Ministry of Railways | Bridge No. 588 between Theruvali-Singapur Road station. | 27.45 | Rayagarh | Ready for Dedication |
| 8 | Ministry of Culture | Renovation & Restoration work of (i) Nilamadhav&SiddheswarTemple,Gandharadi,Boudh
(ii) RanipurJharial Group of Monuments,Balangir (iii) PachimSomnath and Group of Temple,Baudh |
10.28 | Boudh&Balangir | Inaguration |
| 9 | Ministry of Culture | Development of ancient site at AsurgarhFort,Kalahandi | 2.2 | Kalahandi | Inauguration |
| 10 | Ministry of External Affairs | 6 New Passport SevaKendras: 1.Jagatsinghpur 2. Kendrapara 3. Puri4.Phulbani 5. Bargarh and 6.Balangir | Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Puri, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Balangir | Inauguration | |
| Total cost of projects | Rs 1545 Crores | ||||
Ministry of Railways
Since 2014, Rs. 20, 213 crores has been earmarked in the railways’ budgetary allocation for Odisha, a five-fold increase over the budgetary allocation of Rs. 4,190 crore during the previous 5-year period. New railways lines are being constructed in Odisha at 116 KM per year average as opposed to 98 KM per year average in the previous 5-year period. Doubling work nearly doubled from 157 KM per year to 330 KM per year average.
- Dedication of Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) Jharsuguda to the Nation
The 28.3-acre Multi Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) Jharsuguda built at a cost of Rs. 100 Crores, will facilitate EXIM and Domestic cargo including Private Freight Traffic (PFT) traffic. The facility is situated adjacent to the main line of Howrah-Mumbai which is 5 KM from Jharsuguda Railway station. MMLP Jharsuguda will have two full rake lines with PFT handling facilities, in-motion weigh bridge, 1100 sq. m. warehouse, 6200 sq. m. CC paving and a 500 sq.m. admin building facilitating customs. A number of industries, such as cement, paper, aluminum, refractory pig iron, sponge iron, steel pipe etc., located in and around the catchment area will benefit from using this facility and establish Jharsuguda as a prime logistics hub in Odisha and boost ease of doing business in the State.
- Inauguration of new railway line from Bolangir-Bichhupali
The 15 KM Bolangir-Bichhupali new railway line was built at a cost of RS. 115 crores and is a part of the new 289 KM Balangir-Khurda road line which connects to Howrah-Chennai main line on Khurdha road side and Titlagarh-Sambalpur line at Balangir. Once completed, the line would connect coastal Odisha with western Odisha through Sonepur, Boudh, Puranakatak, Daspalla and Nayagarh synchronizing development across the State as well as reduce travel time from Bhubaneswar and Puri to major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. The line would also benefit many MSME and cottage industries in Odisha and open up opportunities for the mining sector in the State especially granite, graphite, limestone and quartz which are found abundantly in the region.
- Flagging off of a new train on Balangir-Bichhupali route
The new train on the Bolangir-Bichhupali route would benefit many commuters in the region. It will connect Bichhupali to Jharsuguda and Vizianagaram main line through Bolangir.
- Dedication of Electrification of 813 KM of Jharsuguda-Vizinagaram and Sambalpur-Angul lines
Electrification of 813 KM of Jharsuguda-Vizinagaram and Sambalpur-Angul lines was completed at a cost of Rs. 1085 crores. The project will ensure seamless rail connectivity on the line and reduce running time due to better haulage capacity of electric locomotives and elimination of traction change from Electrical to Diesel. The electrification will also reduce diesel consumption and lead to reduction of Green House Gas emissions. 701 Route KMs of Line have been electrified in year 2014-18 as against 144 Route KMs during 2009-14.
- Dedication of Doubling of 14.273 KM of Barpali-Dungaripali and 17.354 KM Balangir-Deogaon road line
Doubling of Barpali-Dungaripali and Bolangir-Deogaon road lines has been completed at a cost of Rs. 189.3 crores and is a part of the 181.54 KM Sambalpur-Titlagarh Doubling project. The crucial Sambalpur-Titlagarh line connects Howrah-Chennai main line with Howrah-Mumbai trunk route passing through the hinterlands of Odisha and AP. The line provides industrial logistics services to the coal fields near Jharsuguda and Talcher, aluminum industries in Hirakud, cement industries in Bargarh and steel industries in Rourkela. Doubling of this key railway line will give an immediate and significant boost to the industrial capacity of Odisha because of faster evacuation of materials and goods. The doubling project has also witnessed an improvement in passenger amenities along the route besides and increases in passenger capacity.
- Dedication of Bridge no. 588 between Theruvali-Singapur road station
Bridge no. 588 between Theruvali-Singapur road station has been commissioned at a cost of Rs. 27.4 crores to rebuild the linkage over Nagavali river which was washed away during floods in July 2017. The new bridge was constructed in a record time of 200 days from the date of award of contract and will restore railway traffic on the line thereby benefitting the people of Rayagada and Titlagarh.
Ministry of Culture
The Government of India is proud of Odisha’s rich cultural heritage and has undertaken proactive measures to restore the glory of Western Odisha’s pride with conservation and developmental works at key cultural centers in the region.
- Inauguration of renovation and restoration works at Nilamadhav & Siddheswar Temple in Gandhaharadi (Boudh), RanipurJharial group of monuments in Balangir and Paschim Somnath group of temples in Boudh.
In continuation of Government of India’s efforts at preserving the rich heritage of Odisha, the ASI had undertaken renovation and restoration works at Nilamadhav & Siddheswar Temple in Gandhaharadi, Boudh at cost of Rs. 61 lakhs. The twin temples of Gandharadi, locally known as the Charisambhu temples, are estimated to have been built in the 9th century CE. These are the earliest temples in Odishan temple architecture to have assimilated characteristics of the Central Indian temple architecture and, thus, facilitate the evolution of Kalingan temples. The temples celebrate Western Odisha’s syncretic Hara-Hari cultural fabric with Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva worshipped on a single platform and are a sight to behold with intricate workmanship.
ASI had also undertaken renovation and restoration works at Paschim Somnath group of temples in Boudh at a cost of Rs. 10 lakhs. The group of monuments includes Paschima Somanatha temple, Bhubanesvara temple and Kapileswara temple and is estimated to have been constructed in 10th Century.
ASI had also undertaken renovation and restoration works at Ranipur Jharial group of monuments in Balangir at a cost of Rs. 9.6 crores. The Ranipur Jharial group of monuments are situated on the ancient trade route connecting Titilagarh, ancient Taitalya Janapada mentioned by Panini in 5th century BCE. With the Madhya Bharat and the Dakshinapatha. The prime monuments consist of the inimitable open-to-sky 64 Yogini temple (datable to 8th-9th century CE), Leharigudi (datable to 6th century CE), Someswar temple, Ranigudi or the temple of the Queen and the Indralath brick temple (datable to the 7th century CE).
- Inauguration of renovation and restoration works at Asurgarh Fort in Kalahandi
In continuation of Government of India’s efforts at preserving the rich heritage of Odisha, the ASI had undertaken renovation and restoration works at Asurgarh Fort in Kalahandi at a cost of Rs. 2.2 crores. From the excavations, the first layer of the site has been dated to the 5th century CE. Asurgarh was an important political and commercial centre on the high road joining Mahakantara with Kalinga. Samudragupta mentions king Vyaghraraja of Mahakantara which corresponds to modern Kalahandi region.
Enhanced tourist facilities at these sites like toilets, drinking water, boundary walls etc. shall give a boost to the tourist footfalls at Boudh and Balangir and add another feather to the rich bouquet of heritage tourism in Odisha.
Ministry of External Affairs
The Government of India has championed the Hon’ble PM of Maximum Governance, Minimum Government and Ease of Living by launching Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) at India Post Offices. Since 2014, 12 PSKs have been set-up in Post Offices across Odisha and now another 6 PSKs has inaugurated by the Hon’ble PM.
- Inauguration of new Passport Seva Kendras at Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Phulbani, Bargarh and Bolangir
Post Offices are key last-mile nodal points for governance-service interface and the Government of India has pushed the modernization of Post Office by offering value-added services for citizens. Passport Seva Kendras has been inaugurated at Post Offices at Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Phulbani, Bargarh and Bolangir. Currently, people of Odisha have to go to RPO Bhubaneswar for Passport-related services and the PSKs will greatly benefit the people throughout the State.
Ministry of Human Resource Development
The Government of India is committed to delivery of high quality and accessible education to everyone in Odisha. There are 60 KendriyaVidyalayas (KV) operational in Odisha with an enrollment of 52,894 students. Since 2014, 6 new KVs have been inaugurated in Odisha, another 4 are in the final stages of completion and now the foundation stone for KV Sonepur has been laid by the Hon’ble PM.
- Laying of foundation stone for permanent building at Kendriya Vidyalaya Sonepur
The permanent campus for Kendriya Vidyalaya Sonepur being constructed with an investment of Rs. 15.81 crores will be spread over 10 acres and houses modern schooling facilities for the benefit of over 1000 school children.
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