Talcher: A 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link, which would enable Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) to increase the daily despatch of coal to the consumers by about 40 thousand tonnes, was inaugurated by the Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwani Vaishnav, today. Constructed by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd and IDCO at a cost of Rs.300 crore, the commissioning of the first phase Angul-Balram rail-link, has enhanced the potential of the MCL to despatch coal by 10 more rakes daily.
The Angul-Balram rail link is a total 68-km-long Inner Corridor – Angul-Balram-Putugadia Jarapada-Tentuloi – will cater to the mines of Talcher coalfields in the Angul district of Odisha. The inner corridor is being implemented by MCRL in two phases. In the first phase, the 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link was to be constructed, while in Phase II 54-km-long Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link would be completed. IRCON International Ltd is the implementing agency of this project, being developed at an estimated total cost of Rs 1,700 crore.
In the MCRL, MCL, as a representative of the Ministry of Coal, has 64% equity shares, while IRCON, representing the Ministry of Railways, has 26% and IDCO, representing the Govt of Odisha, has 10% equity shares. This JV was formed in 2015 to undertake project development, financing and implementation of a common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in the state of Odisha.
The rail link will also facilitate the evacuation of dry fuel from the coal blocks allotted to miners other than Coal India in Talcher coalfields.
Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal; Pramod Agrawal, Chairman, Coal India Limited; OP Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MCL & Chairman of MCRL; Keshav Rao, Director (Personnel), MCL, Shri Jugal Kumar Borah, Director (Technical), MCL and Ajit Kumar Behura, Director (Finance) were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
– global bihari bureau
