Rs 300 Crore Angul-Balram Rail-link Inaugurated
A 14-km-long rail link connecting Angul and Balram has boosted coal evacuation from the Talcher coal fields, so Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) can ship 40 thousand tonnes more coal to consumers every day. The first phase of the Angul-Balram rail link, constructed at a cost of Rs.300 crore, has increased MCL’s coal delivery by 10 rakes per day.
The rail link was inaugurated today by Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Shri Ashwani Vaishnav, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology. It was built by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd, and IDCO.
The Angul-Balram rail link is the first phase of a 68-km-long Inner Corridor connecting the Talcher coalfields in the Angul district of Odisha to Angul-Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi. MCRL is implementing the inner corridor in two phases. During Phase-I, a 14-km Angul-Balram rail link would be built, while in Phase II, a 54-km Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link would be built. This project is being implemented by IRCON International Ltd at a total cost of Rs 1,700 crore.
Inauguration guests included Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary of the Ministry of Coal, Shri Pramod Agrawal, Chairman of Coal India Limited, Shri OP Singh, Chairman/Managing Director of MCL, and Shri Keshav Rao, Director (Personnel), Shri Jugal Kumar Borah, Director (Technical), and Shri Ajit Kumar Behura, Director (Finance).
In the MCRL, MCL represents the Ministry of Coal with 64% of the equity shares, IRCON represents the Ministry of Railways with 26% and IDCO represents the Government of Odisha with 10%. The joint venture was formed in 2015 to develop, finance, and build a rail corridor for coal projects in Odisha.
Besides Coal India, the rail link will let other miners in the Talcher coalfields evacuate dry fuel.
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