Indian Railways signs MoUs with NMDC and RINL

21 Dec 2012

Indian Railways today signed a memorandum of understanding with state-run National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) for doubling the 150-km Jagdalpur-Kirandul section of the Kottavalsa-Kirandul line of the East Coast Railway.

The Railways also signed an MoU with Rashrtiaya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) for setting up a forged wheel factory at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

Both NMDC and RINL are public sector undertakings under the administrative control of the ministry of steel.

Doubling of the 150-km of the Jagdalpur-Kirandul section of the Kottavalsa-Kirandul line will help augment the evacuation capacity of NMDC to meet the increased demand for iron ore of the steel mills in the region besides benefiting people living in the tribal belt of Bastar, Chattisgarh and adjacent areas.

Speaking on the occasion, union minister for steel Beni Prasad Verma said this would usher in an era of growth for the region and the nation.

''I am sure that apart from benefiting the steel industry in India, the doubling of the railway line will transform the lives of the local tribal population in Bastar, Chattisgarh and adjacent states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh,'' he said.