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Chief Secretary to head fast track panel to monitor rail projects

Special Correspondent

Railway Board Chairman Kalyan Coomar Jena meets Naveen Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: A fast track committee comprising senior officials from the State government and East Coast Railway will be set up to review and monitor the ongoing railway projects in the State.

A proposal in this regard was given to the State government by Railway Board Chairman Kalyan Coomar Jena when he met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Friday.

The Chief Minister promptly agreed to the suggestion.

It was decided that the State Chief Secretary will head the fast track committee.

During their meeting at the State Secretariat, Mr. Jena and Mr. Patnaik reviewed the status of the projects pending due to non-acquisition of land and also due to other problems like law and order.

Suggestions

According to an official release issued by East Coast Railway, Mr. Jena stressed upon early implementation of green-field projects which were important to the State’s development.

The Chief Minister agreed in principle to the suggestions Mr. Jena on working out a joint mechanism so that the significant projects such as the world class railway station at Bhubaneswar, railway connectivity to ports and development of sidings for loading iron ore from steel plants could be implemented on schedule. The issues pertaining to implementation of Haridaspur-Paradip, Khurda-Bolangir, Lanjigarh-Junagarh and Nuapada-Gunupur railway link projects were also discussed in the meeting.

Among others who participated in the meeting include Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Commerce and Transport Department Secretary Suresh Kumar Mohapatra and senior officials of East Coast Railway.

Developmental work

Earlier in the day, Mr. Jena visited Puri to see ongoing developmental work.

He also saw the new passenger amenities that had been provided in the Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express.

In Bhubaneswar, Mr. Jena also inaugurated a new computerised railway passenger reservation centre at the KIIT University campus.

The new passenger reservation system at KIIT will benefit its 12,000 students and 5,000 staff, besides general public living in the nearby areas.

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