Balangir (Odisha): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a slew of projects worth over Rs 1,550 crore for Odisha. He dedicated to the nation electrification of Jharsuguda- Vizianagaram and Sambalpur-Angul lines spanning 813 km completed at a cost of Rs 1,085 crore.
Modi also inaugurated the doubling of 14.2 km of Barpali-Dungaripali and 17.354 km Balangir-Deogaon railway lines, completed at a cost of Rs 189.3 crore. It is a part of the 181.54 km Sambalpur-Titlagarh rail track doubling project. A Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Jharsuguda, built at a cost of Rs 100 crore, was dedicated to the nation by the prime minister. He also inaugurated the 15 km-long Balangir-Bichhupali railway line laid at a cost of Rs 115 crore. It is part of the new 289-km Balangir-Khurda road line which connects to Howrah-Chennai main line on Khurda Road and Titlagarh-Sambalpur line at Balangir.
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Modi flagged off a new train on Balangir-Bichhupali route which would benefit commuters of the region, besides connecting Bichhupali to Jharsuguda and Vizianagaram main line through Balangir. A bridge between Theruvali and Singapur Road station, constructed at a cost of Rs 27.4 crore was inaugurated on the occasion. The bridge reestablishes the linkage over Nagavali river, which was destroyed during floods in July 2017.
These apart, Modi inaugurated renovation and restoration works at Nilamadhav and Siddheswar Temple at Gandhaharadi in Boudh, Paschim Somnath group of temples, also in Boudh, and Ranipur Jharial group of monuments in Balangir. He inaugurated six Passport Sewa Kendras at Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Phulbani, Bargarh and Balangir. Modi also laid the foundation stone for a permanent building of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sonepur, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 15.81 crore.