Last updated on July 19th, 2023 at 03:57 pm
The inauguration of the 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link gave a major boost to the evacuation of coal from Talcher coalfields. This will enable Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) to increase the daily despatch of coal to consumers by about 40 thousand tonnes. The commissioning of the first phase Angul-Balram rail link, constructed at a cost of Rs.300 crore, has enhanced the potential of MCL to despatch coal by 10 more rakes daily.
Today, the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi, along with Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwani Vaishnav, inaugurated the rail link constructed by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd and IDCO.
The first phase of the Inner Corridor, the Angul-Balram rail link, is 68 km long. The Talcher coalfields in the Angul district of Odisha will be serviced by this rail link.MCRL is implementing the inner corridor in two phases.
The first phase would involve the construction of a 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link, while the second phase would entail the completion of a 54-km-long Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link. This project is being developed by IRCON International Ltd. at an approximate total cost of Rs 1,700 crore.
![The First Phase Of The 68 km Long Inner Corridor Angul-Balram Rail Link Is Inaugurated. 1 train ingaugration 11zon](https://www.refersms.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/train-ingaugration_11zon.jpg)
Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary Ministry of Coal; Shri Pramod Agrawal Chairman, Coal India Limited Shri OP Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MCL & Chairman of MCRL; Shri Keshav Rao, Director, MCL, Shri Jugal Kumar Borah, Director (Technical), MCL and Shri Ajit Kumar Behura, Director (Finance) were also current at the inaugural ceremony.
The MCRL is jointly owned by the Ministry of Coal (64%), the Ministry of Railways (26%), and the Government of Odisha (10%). The JV was formed in 2015 to develop, finance, and implement a common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in Odisha.