Berhampur: Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), a joint venture company of the state govt and railway ministry, has started preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the 258-km-long railway line from Gopalpur to Rayagada, sources said. The railway sources added that the DPR for another line from Gopalpur to Sambalpur (via Rairakhol and Phulbani) is under scrutiny.Following the advice of the railway board, the ORIDL has resubmitted a revised DPR for the Gopalpur-Sambalpur section, connecting Phulbani in Kandhamal, after protests by the residents of the tribal-dominated district. The most important feature of the project is that the Kandhamal district will be connected by a rail route for the first time after the construction of the railway line.Gopalpur-Rayagada line will connect the port town to industrial hub in southern Odisha, while the Gopalpur-Sambalpur track will connect southern and western Odisha.South Odisha Railway Development Joint Action Committee convener Saroj Ranjan Pattanayak said the two projects will also help in economic development of the regions.Earlier, several committee members had staged demonstrations at Rail Bhawan and Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on April 10, demanding these two railway lines and development of Berhampur station. The railways has sanctioned Rs 300-crore development of the railway station, the last major station of East Coast Railway, after Palasa-Ichapuram section coming under the newly established South Coast Railway.
