New
Delhi, Aug 1: The Works on the 103km on the Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi section of
Konkan Railway will begin soon, informed the Union
Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu on 31st
of July.
This
decision was taken at a review meeting of Konkan Railway chaired by Shri Prabhu.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman, Railway Board, CMD, Konkan Railway
and other senior officials. During the deliberations, the Minister emphasised
that the construction of the Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi section will be a makeover
not only the Konkan Railway, but also, for the region and the economy of
Maharashtra. It will link the coastal region of Maharashtra with Western
Maharashtra, will lead to development of ports and harbours in the coastal
region and allow flow of goods from the hinterland to the coast.
In
the meeting, the Union Minister said that the construction of this line will
also facilitate the movement of petroleum from the world’s largest integrated
refinery cum petrochemicals complexes being built near Vaibhavwadi in Ratnagiri
District. The USD 40 billion mega refinery is being built by IOC, BPCL and HPCL
and is expected to be commissioned by 2022. It will have a capacity of 60
million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA).
Informing
further, the union minister said, the Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi line will facilitate
movement of petroleum and petrochemicals from the refinery to the coast. The
Minister further explained that the future economic growth of Maharashtra
depends on connectivity of its coastal areas with the rest of the state and the
country. In order to improve the services of Konkan Railway to more villages
and towns in the region, 10 new stations would be constructed and the first
station would be inaugurated in January 2019.
The
Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi line has already been sanctioned by the Railway Ministry.
Indian Railways will bear 50% of the cost and rest will be borne by the
Government of Maharashtra.
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