Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday welcomed the approval for deployment of Kavach on 631 Route Kilometres (RKm) of East Coast Railway, terming it a major milestone for rail safety in Odisha.
The project covers six important railway sections of East Coast Railway, namely Baghuapal–Budhapank, Haridaspur–Paradeep, Khurda Road (KUR)-Balangir, Naupada-Gunupur, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh and Bobbili-Salur.
The Ministry of Railways announced the Kavach expansion highlighting that the sanctioned work forms part of Indian Railways’ larger programme for deployment of Kavach with LTE-based communication backbone across the railway network.
In a post on his X handle, CM Majhi highlighted that the move will significantly enhance passenger safety, reduce the risk of accidents, improve train operations and ensure greater reliability of rail services across the state.
“As a key part of the East Coast Railway network, Odisha will benefit from enhanced passenger safety, reduced risk of accidents, improved train operations, and greater reliability of rail services. This modern, indigenously developed technology will further strengthen connectivity, support economic growth, and contribute to building a safer and more efficient railway system for the people of Odisha,” the Chief Minister stated.
CM Majhi expressed sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for their commitment to strengthening rail safety and modernising India’s railway network.
It is pertinent to mention that the Kavach system, India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, is designed to prevent collisions, signal passing at danger, and overspeeding, thereby significantly improving the safety standards of Indian Railways.
This development is expected to boost rail infrastructure in Odisha, which has a large share of the East Coast Railway network.
