Lok Sabha Question No. 2602 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-10
Subject: New Railway lines in Chhattisgarh
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Gomati Sai, Chunni Lal Sahu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2602 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.03.2021

## NEW RAILWAY LINES IN CHHATTISGARH

- †2602. SHRIMATI GOMATI SAI: SHRI CHUNNI LAL SAHU:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to State:

- (a) the details of places where new railway line network has been laid during  the  last  three  years  in  Chhattisgarh  and  the  schemes through which this has been done;
- (b)  whether any scheme is being implemented by the Government to connect  deprived  areas  with  rail  network  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (c)  whether  any  proposal  has  been  received/  proposed  from  State Government of Chhattisgarh for construction of new  railway  line from  Bagbahara  (Mahasamund)  to  Bargarh  via  Pithora-BasnaSaraipali-Sohela, Raigarh and Jashpur areas and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether the Government has considered on any scheme to connect the tourist and religious centers of Chhattisgarh via rail routes and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMERCE & INDUSTRY AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2602 BY SHRIMATI GOMATI SAI AND SHRI CHUNNI LAL SAHU TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 10.03.2021 REGARDING NEW RAILWAY LINES IN CHHATTISGARH

(a)  Indian  Railway  projects  are  sanctioned/taken  up  Zonal  Railway wise  and  not  State  wise/Region  wise,    as  Indian  Railways'    network span  across  various  State  boundaries.  However,  during  last  three years  and  current  year  i.e.  2017-18,  2018-19,  2019-20  and  2020-21 (upto February 2021), 440 km of Railway Projects' length ( 85 km New Line and 355 km doubling) falling fully/partly in Chhattisgarh have been commissioned.

(b) and (e) New Line Projects are considered on the basis of demands raised by State Governments, Central Ministries, Members of Parliament, other public representatives and Railways' own requirements.  They  are  taken  up  on  the  basis  of  remunerativeness, last mile connectivity, missing links and alternate routes, augmentation of congested/saturated lines, socio-economic considerations  etc.  depending  upon  liabilities  of  ongoing  projects, overall  availability  of  funds  and  competing  demands.  This  covers connectivity to backward and rural areas also.

As  on  01.04.2020,  8  new  rail  line  projects  of  total  length  1358  km costing ₹ 25,960 crore falling  fully/partly  in  the  State  of  Chhattisgarh including deprived area are in different stage of planning/sanction/execution, out of this 84  km  length has  been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹ 3,524 crore has been incurred upto March 2020. These projects in Chhattisgarh will improve connectivity  to  deprived  areas  including  tourist  and  religious  places falling en-route.                                                                           …………2/-

(c)  and  (d)    Proposals/demands  from  State  Governments,  Central Ministries, Members of Parliament and other public representatives are received  at  various  levels/forums  including  divisional/zonal/Railway Board level. As such no central compendium of proposals is maintained.

Mahasamund and Bargarh stations are already connected via Titlagarh. However, survey for new line from Mahasamund to Bargarh via Pithaura, Saraipalli (180.12 km) was completed in 2016-17. In view of no  projected additional traffic, the project  was  found  to  be financially unviable and could not be taken forward.

Feasibility study of Nuapada-Bargarh rail line connecting Mahasamund-Titlagarh  line  to  Bargarh  has  been  taken  up  by  Odisha Rail  Infrastructure  Development  Corporation  Limited  (ORIDL),  Joint Venture company of Government of Odisha.

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