Communication is Biggest Hurdle for All Round Developments in KBK: A Proposal to Improve it!

Poor connectivity between the state capital and all the KBK districts is largely hindering all types of development work in this region.

Railway Connectivity: Four steps are required.

(1) A KBK heart line covering state's bordering region:

Malkangiri (Malkangiri Dist) – Boipariguda (Koraput Dist)- Jeypore (Koraput Dist) – Boriguma (Koraput Dist) -Nabarangapur (Nabarangapur Dist)– Maidalpur (Nabarangapur Dist) – Ampani (Kalahandi Dist)– Dharamgarh (Kalahandi Dist) - Golamunda (Kalahandi Dist)- Sinpali (Nuapada Dist) - Khariar (Nuapada Dist)– Nuapada (Nuapada Dist)– Padampur (Bargarh Dist)- Bargarh (Nuapada Dist)

(2) A Line to Connect Bhawanipatna to Bhubaneswar via Phulbani:

Dharamgarh (Kalahandi Dist) - Junagarh (Kalahandi Dist)- Lanjigarh Road (Kalahandi Dist)– Baliguda (Kandhamal Dist)- Phulbani (Kandhamal Dist)– Dashapalla (Nayagarh Dist)– Nayagarh (Nayagarh Dist)– Khordha

(3) A Line to Connect Balangir to Bhubaneswar via Sonepur and Boudh:

Balangir (Balangir Dist) – Sonepur (Subarnapur Dist)– Boudh (Boudh Dist)– Dashapalla (Nayagarh Dist)– Nayagarh (Nayagarh Dist)– Khordha


(4) A Line to Connect Koraput to Bhubaneswar via Rayagada, Gajpati, and Ganjam:

Koraput (Koraput Dist) – Rayagada (Rayagada Dist)– Gunpur (Rayagada Dist) – Ramagiri Udayagiri (Gajpati Dist)– Digapahandi (Ganjam Dist)– Berhampur (Ganjam Dist)- Gopalpur (Ganjam Dist)

Near Jayapore KBK Heart Line would meet Koraput-Bhubaneswar Line and in Dharamgarh KBK Heart Line would meet Bhawanipatan - Bhubaneswar Line. Nuapada road has a link to Titlagarh that would serve to link with Balangir - Bhubaneswar Line.

These four lines would cover all the backward region inculding 11 KBK districts as well as whole South Western Orissa and will also link KBK region with Gopalpur port and Bhaubaneswar.

Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, and Gajpati districts would not only have first time railway links but also would serve as transition points for KBK region bringing more business to the local community.

Note: For the above four railway lines few railway links are already made and few are under proposal, other links should be considered in an urgent basis both by state and central governments as well as by East Coast Railway. Please also refer Prof Baral's article in this site for greater details.

Road Connectivity:
State government should also think the above four routes to make four way highway to link major KBK towns with state capital directly such as:

(i) Nuapada - Balangir - Sonepur - Boudh - Nayagarh - Khordha

(ii) Nuapada/Nabarangpur - Bhawanipatna - Phulbani - Nayaharh - Khordha

(iii) Malkangir/Nabarangpur - Jeyapore - Koraput - Rayagada - Ramagiri Udayagiri - Berhampur-Khordha

PS: In the name of KBK other regions may take attention by bringing regional issues based on east, west, north and south Orissa. Directly linking state capital with every districts would help to dilute this regional divisions and encourage development work distributing in all the parts and districts of Orissa equally.

Comment: Statesman on March 1, 2007, PDF, reports Kalahandi was ignored in railway budget, whereas Samaja on April 27, 2007, PDF, reports similar ignorance for Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri by railway.

Pending railway work in KBK:
New track: Junagarh - Lanjigarh Road and Balangir - Khordha Road;
Broad gauge conversion: Rayagada - Gunpur - Nuapada (in Andhra)

(This was also published in Odisha.com on April 29, 2007, PDF)