Infra corridor in coal belt: Odisha asks RITES to submit DPR by Oct

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, Aug 29:

Aiming to fast track the proposed Common Infrastructure Corridor project to be implemented in the Talcher-Angul area through the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), the Odisha government has asked the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) to submit the detailed project report (DPR) for the entire project by October this year.

“The RITES have submitted the timelines for completion of DPR for the project by November, 2014. It was decided that RITES shall expedite the activities and submit the DPR by end of October,” said a letter of IDCO, which had undertaken a review of the proposed project a few days ago.

It also revealed that the district collector has already received objections from all the 13 villages for land acquisition for the 143 kilometre common coal corridor, which will have a capacity of handling 138 million tonnes of coal per annum.

IDCO, the nodal agency for the project, would conduct a socio-economic survey in the area soon, said the letter.

It may be noted that the state government had scheduled a meeting of all the coal block allocatees in the first week of September for discussion on the alternate option of developing the inner corridor up to 7-8 km with an arrangement of a loading station. But the directive of the Supreme Court to cancel all the coal blocks allotment from 1993 has cast a shadow over the meeting and the move the expedite work on the infrastructure corridor, which is likely to face further delays.

The coal corridor will cater to requirements of all blocks in the Talcher coalfields area.

To expedite the project, the government has formed a core committee, headed by Secretary, Steel and Mines Department. While RITES would prepare the DPR, SBI Capital Markets Ltd has been hired to prepare the financial viability of the project and carry out the debt syndication.

Meanwhile, SBI Capital Markets Ltd has already begun discussions with Ministry of Railways for preparation of the draft concession agreement of the NGR model.

As many as 23 steel plants, 22 power projects and 10 other industries would benefit from the proposed coal corridor. The proposed project, which requires 1,800 acres of land in the initial stage, will pass through rail heads like Jharpada, Talcher, Chhendipada, Kaniha and Budhapanka.

The State Government has accorded administrative approval for acquisition of 834.680 acres for the proposed Rs 8,000-crore common infrastructure corridor. While the private land demarcated for the purpose amounts to 558.306 acres, a total 276.374 acres of government land would be alienated for construction of the 143 km-long corridor.