The Ministry of Environment has granted clearance for the Khurda Road-Balangir Rail Line project after a long wait. The 68 km rail section between Dasapalla and Purunakatak, from kms 112 to kms 180, will connect Balangir, Sonepur, Phulbani, Boudh, Nayagarh, and Khurda Districts, and provide another rail link between Western and Coastal Odisha. The project was sanctioned in 1994-95 but faced delays due to various reasons, including court cases and forest clearance. The project work began in 2014-15, and only 115 km of the 301 km stretch has been commissioned so far due to a delay in acquiring land and forest clearance. The Nuagaon-Dasapalla stretch of 15.5 km is expected to be completed by March 2023, and the Jhartarbha-Khambeswarpalli-Sonepur stretch is also targeted to be completed by the same time. The project includes the construction of 57 minor and three major bridges, 15 roads under bridges (RUBs), and four road over bridges (ROBs). The railway ministry has prioritized the development of railway infrastructure in the region and is regularly monitoring the ongoing works in Odisha.
