New Railway Notification
Overview
The Ministry of Railways, through the East Coast Railway (Construction), has issued a new notification
(S.O. 4771(E)) on October 21, 2025, from Bhubaneswar. Under the powers conferred by Clause 7(A) of
Section 2 of the Railways Act, 1989, the Central Government has authorized a new Competent Authority
for a special railway infrastructure project in the State of Odisha.
Competent Authority Appointed
As per the notification, the Revenue Divisional Officer, Srikakulam has been designated as the
Competent Authority under the said Act. The officer will perform all functions assigned to such authority
for the project area described in the notification.
Project Details
The special railway project pertains to the Construction of a Road Over Bridge (ROB) in lieu of
the closure of Manned Level Crossing (LC) No. ML-381 located at Km 689/1-3 between
Pundi (PUN) and Naupada (NWP) on the Main Line of the Waltair Division.
This infrastructure upgrade aims to improve safety and enhance smooth rail-road connectivity along
the East Coast Railway network.
Implementation and Oversight
The project will be undertaken under the supervision of Ajaya Kumar Samal, Chief Engineer (Con-II),
as per File No. ECoR/Dy.CE/GSU/WAT/ML-381/ROBs/CALA. The notification takes effect immediately
upon publication in the Official Gazette.
Significance
The construction of this new Road Over Bridge marks another important step in the Ministry of Railways’
commitment to replacing level crossings with modern overpasses to enhance safety and efficiency in train
operations. It also reflects continued infrastructure modernization efforts in Odisha under the East Coast Railway.