Railways to invest Rs 1 trn in Odisha over next 5 years, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said new railway projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore will be implemented in Odisha in the next five years. Vaishnaw said this while addressing a felicitation programme organised by Odisha BJP here to felicitate the party's 20 MPs and 78 MLAs elected in recently held Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state. The Congress government and then the BJD government have neglected the development of the railway sector in Odisha. So, with the formation of a double-engine government of BJP in Odisha and Centre, now, the gap created during the past years, will be met by creating a new record in these five years, he said. Though many mega railway projects have been sanctioned, those were delayed due to delay in land acquisition by the previous BJD government, said Vaishnaw, adding, "Now double engine government is formed and the pace of the railway projects will be accelerated." The Union minister said the allocation to Odisha in the railway budget has b