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Monday, December 9, 2024

Raigarh-Bhupdeopur freight line given the green light

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The Indian government has given the nod for the construction of a new broad gauge line between Raigarh (Mand Colliery) and Bhupdeopur Railway Station.

The 63 km line will be developed with an investment of $70 million through a joint venture (JV) consisting of IRCON International, South Eastern Coalfields, (SECL) and Chhattisgarh state.

SECL will hold a 64 per cent stake in the JV, followed by IRCON which will own 26 per cent.

The remaining 10 per cent will be owned by the Chhattisgarh state through capitalisation of land or through cash contributions.

The project is likely to be completed in the next five years during the 13th Plan period.

The Mand-Raigarh coal belt is a virgin coal field with reserves of mostly power grade coal and is strategically located to bridge the gap between demand and supply of Western India.

The total geological reserve of the Mand-Raigarh coal field is estimated at around 16 billion tonnes.

At present, the coal field is connected by road and with the projected growth expected by the end of the 12th Plan period, it would not be possible to cater to bulk transportation by road only.

The new broad gauge link between Raigarh and Bhupdeopur Railway station on the Howrah-Mumbai Main Line is being proposed to cope up with the demand of additional traffic generated by SECL.

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