Anugul, Dec 29: Union Minister of Coal, Mines Prahalad Joshi on Thursday along with Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of Railways Ashiwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link at a function here.
Coal evacuation from Talcher coalfields got a major boost. with the inauguration of the rail link . It would enable Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) to increase daily despatch of coal to the consumers by about 40,000 tonne.
It was Constructed by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd and IDCO.
The Angul-Balram rail link is the first phase of a total 68-km-long Inner Corridor — Angul-Balram-PutugadiaJarapada-Tentuloi — which will cater to the coal mines of Talcher coalfields in Angul
district of Odisha.
In the MCRL, MCL, as a representative of the Ministry of Coal, has 64 per cent equity shares, while IRCON, representing the Ministry of Railways, has 26 per cent and IDCO, representing the Govt of Odisha, has 10 per cent equity shares.
The Joint venture was formed in 2015 to undertake Project development, financing and implementation of common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in Odisha.
The Inner Corridor is being implemented by MCRL in two phases. In the Phase-I, 14-km-long Angul-Balram Rail Link was to be constructed, while in the 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 cost of Rs 1,700 crore.
Commissioning of the first phase, Angul-Balram rail-link, has enhanced the potential of MCL to despatch coal by 10 more rakes daily.
The rail-link will also facilitate evacuation of dry fuel from the coal blocks allotted to miners other
than the Coal India in Talcher coalfields.
