Modi to inaugurate several infrastructure projects in Odisha

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday inaugurate the multi-modal logistics park at Jharsuguda and a new railway line between Balangir and Bichupali during his Odisha visit.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the permanent building at Kendriya Vidhyalaya, Sonepur.

While the new 15-km Balangir-Bichupali railway line would connect coastal Odisha with western Odisha, the logistics park at Jharsuguda will facilitate export-import and domestic cargo including private freight traffic, an official statement said.

Built adjacent to Howrah-Mumbai railway line at a cost of Rs 100 crore, the logistics park is located at five kilometres from Jharsuguda railway station.

"Many important industries like steel, cement, paper etc are located around the facility and will benefit from it. The logistics park will establish Jharsuguda as a prime logistics hub in Odisha and boost ease of doing business in the state," the government statement said.

It added that the Balangir-Bichupali railway line would reduce travel time from Bhubaneswar and Puri to major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai.

"The line would benefit many MSMEs and cottage industries and open up opportunities for the mining sector in Odisha," it said.

During the visit, Modi would also inaugurate new Passport Sewa Kendras at Jagatsingh, Kendrapara, Puri, Kandhmal, Bargarh and Balangir, and renovation and restoration works at Nilamadhav and Siddheshwar temples in Gandhaharadi, Ranipur Jharial group of monuments in Balangir and Asurgarh Fort in Kalahandi.