ECoR floats tender for Puri-Konark rail line survey

Bhubaneswar: A final location survey of the Puri-Konark new railway line (33km) is likely to start soon with the ECoR floating the tender on Friday. The tender process will end on November 24 with the ECoR setting a target of completing survey work within four months. Though the ECoR had conducted a preliminary engineering and traffic (PET) survey for the proposed Puri-Konark railway line through Ramachandi in 2017, the forest department had objected to the route alignment. The rail line was supposed to pass through the Balukhand-Konark wildlife sanctuary located in the coastal regulation zone. But last year’s survey had bypassed the wildlife sanctuary. The proposed railway line will connect two famous tourist destinations — Puri and Konark. On April 28, 2017,CM Patnaik had proposed to bear 50% of the project cost of the Puri-Konark new line to boost the tourism potential of the areas.