Kharsia-Parmalkasa 5th-6th railway line will become the new artery of Chhattisgarh, bumper employment will be available: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav

Kharsia-Parmalkasa Rail Project is a historic step for the development of Chhattisgarh – Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai

Raipur 7 April 2025: Regarding the Kharsia-Naya Raipur-Parmalkasa Rail Project approved by the Union Cabinet, Railway, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said in a press conference held at Rail Bhavan on Monday that this project is going to change the rail connectivity of Chhattisgarh. This project will cost Rs 8741 crore and will provide end-to-end coverage to the entire Chhattisgarh. The Railway Minister said that Kharsia-Parmalkasa 5th-6th rail line is like a new artery of rail network in Chhattisgarh. It will provide rail network facility from the border of Odisha to the border of Maharashtra. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Railway Minister said that this is one of the biggest projects of India. This will connect districts like Raigarh, Janjgir Champa, Bilaspur, Baloda Bazar, Durg and Rajnandgaon of Chhattisgarh. Under this, 21 stations will be built, 48 big bridges as well as 349 minor bridges, 14 flyovers and 184 underpasses will be constructed. 5 rail flyovers will also be constructed so that the residents do not face any problem at the local level. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that in this project, 615 km long tracks will be laid in 278 km route. After the construction of this route, more than 8 mail/express trains will be operated. The construction of this rail network will save about 22 crore liters of diesel and the railways will save diesel worth about Rs 2500 crore. The Railway Minister said that the Lakshmi Narayan temple associated with the context of Mata Shabari during Lord Rama’s exile will also be connected to this rail network. Major industrial hubs of cement production like Baloda Bazar and Kharsia will also be connected to this network. Ashwini Vaishnav said that for the convenience of the local people, the railways is now adopting the bypass method. Under this, emphasis is being laid on taking goods trains out of the city. At the same time, passenger trains will be allowed to enter the city. This will be the focus during the construction of this railway line. Also, the areas producing Chhattisgarh’s cultural heritage Kosa Silk will also be connected through the railway line. Due to this, 2 crore man-days of employment will be generated. The Railway Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chhattisgarh’s railway budget has now increased 22 times to more than 6900 crores. Also, after 2014, there has been an unprecedented pace in the work of railways in Chhattisgarh. Under this, 1,125 km of new tracks have been built, which is more than the entire railway network of Dubai. He said that the total investment of railways in Chhattisgarh is more than 47 thousand crores. Under this, 32 stations are being rebuilt, and they are being made completely new. The development work of many of these stations will be completed by the end of this year. Giving information about the important railway projects of the state, the Railway Minister said that the new line from Dallirajhara to Raoghat is about to be completed. Now the work of preparing the DPR of Raoghat to Jagdalpur railway line is almost complete. Similarly, work is also going on at a fast pace on the Gevra-Pendra Road new line. Along with this, the gauge conversion of Rajnandgaon to Nagpur third line, Jharsuguda to Bilaspur fourth line, Raipur-Kendri-Dhamtari to Abhanpur-Rajim line is being done to make it broad gauge. Adequate funds have been given for Rajnandgaon to Dongargarh fourth line, doubling of Jagdalpur to Koraput, Dharamjaigarh to Korba new line, doubling of Anuppur to Ambikapur. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that Indian Railways is working to fulfill the expectations with which the people of Chhattisgarh have formed the double engine government. Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai said that ever since the central government came under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thousands of crores of rupees worth of railway related work is being done in Chhattisgarh. Many districts of Chhattisgarh are connected with the new project, it is a matter of good fortune for the state. The government has given crores of rupees of funds for the development of stations, this will change the picture of railways and Chhattisgarh.

Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and said that an important gift like Kharsia-Naya Raipur-Paramalkasa rail project will give a new impetus to the development of Chhattisgarh. This rail project will connect major districts like Janjgir-Champa, Sakti, Baloda Bazar, Raipur, Durg and Rajnandgaon. This will provide new opportunities to these districts. People will get employment. Baloda Bazar and Janjgir will now emerge as new hubs for industries. This area is rich in limestone. Better rail connectivity will boost cement industries here. He said that the direct rail line to Naya Raipur would improve the capital’s connectivity with metros like Mumbai and Kolkata. The project will accelerate goods transport, which will reduce the logistics cost of industries. This will also boost transport of agricultural products, minerals and construction material. This will give new direction and speed to the development of Naya Raipur. Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Tokhan Sahu expressed his happiness for this project approved for the state of Chhattisgarh and thanked the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government on behalf of the residents of all Chhattisgarh.