Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday announced introduction of a train service from Puri which is the abode of Lord Jagannath, to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Making this announcement at a public function at Puri, he said the train service will be rolled out during July or August this year.
The Puri to Konark new railway line in the Puri district will also be approved very soon, the minister added.
In 2014, Odisha got around Rs 800 crore in the budget for development of the railway sector. But now, the funding has been enhanced to Rs 10,000 crore and the state is witnessing its results, Vaishnaw said.
Claiming that a railway line of only 45 km was constructed per year during the UPA government, he said it increased by 10 times to 450 km during the Modi government.
“It is PM Modi’s guarantee to make Odisha a developed state in the country. Modiji is working day and night to ensure a better future for the youths of Odisha,” he added.
The development work at Puri railway station will be completed very soon and lakhs of devotees will benefit from it, Vaishnaw said.