Suspected sabotage attempt near Odisha’s Sundargarh district damages railway track sleepers

Police said a suspected blast damaged several railway sleepers between Rangra & Karmpada. Officials say only goods trains run here & movement has been halted until the section is restored.

Representative image of railway tracks. | Pixabay

Sundargarh: A suspected attempt to sabotage railway infrastructure was reported near the Rangra-Karmpada section in Odisha’s Sundargarh district late last night, officials said.

According to the South Eastern Railway (SER), “A banner or flag was reportedly put up by the CPI(ML) group near the railway track between Rangra and Karmpada stations during the night. Acting on this, RPF, local police, and Permanent Way Inspectors (PWI) staff moved towards the spot.”

Preliminary inspection revealed signs of a blast attempt at Kilometre No. 477/34-35, which caused damage to several railway sleepers.

The incident has been reported to the Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP) and Superintendent of Police (SP), Rourkela. Assistant Security Commissioner (ASC) of RPF, Rourkela has also rushed to the site for on-ground supervision and to oversee restoration efforts.

Officials informed that no passenger trains runs in this section and only goods trains serving to SAIL loading sidings are running. Till the fitness of the entire section goods movement is stopped taking due safety precaution.

Meanwhile, earlier in this week, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared four railway projects aimed at decongesting the national rail network.

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said that the projects include Itarsi – Nagpur fourth line; Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) – Parbhani Doubling; Aluabari Road- New Jalpaiguri third and fourth line; and Dangoaposi- Jaroli third and fourth line.

Vaishnaw, who is also the Union Railways Minister, said the increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion.

The multitracking projects will also contribute to the government’s climate goals by reducing emissions and fuel imports, as the railways continue to serve as a more environmentally friendly transport option.

The Union Cabinet also approved a total outlay of Rs 6,520 crore, including an additional outlay of Rs 1920 crore for the ongoing Central Sector Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana” (PMKSY) during the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (FCC) (2021-22 to 2025-26).

The approval includes Rs 1000 crore to support the setting up of 50 Multi Product Food Irradiation Units under the component scheme-Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure (ICCVAI), and 100 Food Testing Labs (FTLs) with NABL accreditation under the component scheme, Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure (FSQAI) of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), in alignment with the budget announcement.

The additional funding for PM Kisan Sampada Yojana and the cooperative development scheme are part of the broader strategy to strengthen rural infrastructure, improve farmers’ income and support local industries, the government said in an official release.