Bhubaneswar, May 18 (). Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday urged PM Modi to start two Vande Bharat Express trains on the Puri-Rourkela and Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad routes.
The CM made this request to the Prime Minister during the launch of the Vande Bharat Express train service from Puri to Kolkata and sought his support for its early implementation.
The CM thanked PM Modi for starting several railway projects in Odisha. The CM said that I take this opportunity to request the Prime Minister to start a Vande Bharat Express train between Puri and Rourkela connecting Sambalpur and another train connecting Bhubaneshwar and Hyderabad for the benefit of our aspirant people. It will facilitate faster movement of passengers between these important cities.
Patnaik said that the state government is developing Puri as an international heritage centre. Puri is the first city in India to have 100 percent tap facility.
The Chief Minister said that he had recently met the Prime Minister and had a detailed discussion on the proposed Shri Jagannath Puri International Airport at Puri.
He further said that we will incorporate all the suggestions given by the Prime Minister to make it a world class seaside airport. I hope that with the cooperation and support of the PM, this airport will be ready in 3 to 4 years and the PM will come to Srikshetra (Puri) to dedicate the airport.
Apart from this, Patnaik has also requested the Prime Minister to approve the Puri-Konark new railway line. The CM mentioned that Odisha has always been very active in supporting railway projects in the state. The people of the state have also voluntarily pledged their invaluable land for the development of the railways, hoping that the railway projects will provide them with several new economic avenues.
The Chief Minister also requested for early commencement of passenger services on both Angul-Sukinda line and Haridaspur-Paradip line to fulfill the aspirations of the people of these districts.
CM said that it is expected that the dream of bullet train will come true soon. Further said that the launch of Vande Bharat train is a step towards our aspiration of bullet train in India.
He said that I am sure that under your leadership, we will get our bullet train very soon. The Chief Minister also thanked the Prime Minister for the new projects.
As per reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express train on the Puri-Howrah route through video-conferencing in the presence of CM Patnaik. Modi either inaugurated or laid the foundation stone for several railway projects in Odisha worth over Rs 8,000 crore. Apart from this, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of other projects.
FZ/ANM
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