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The link http://www.rvnl.org/project/project_desc.php?id=74 has the following.

This is the latest addition to the list of RVNL projects. (15 of 60 projects in that list involve Orissa.)  It is listed as a port connectivity (PC) project. Among the various proposed ports in that area, Dhamra port is closest to be operational. This link will shorten Rupsa-Chakulia distance from 167 kms to 125 kms. More importantly it will bypass the busy Kharagpur junction and provide an alternative path to Tatanagar. It will also provide a bypass of the area that sometimes gets flooded by the Subarnarekha river.

The following map illustrates the area. (Thanks to Samit for permitting to use this map fragment from his book.)

The following is from SER’s Kharagpur division map.

The complete list of 15 Orissa related projects listed at http://www.rvnl.org/project/project.php are: 

1. (11) KHARAGPUR (NIMPURA) – BHUBANESWAR (GQ electrification – completed)
2. (12) BHUBANESWAR – KOTTAVALASA ELECT (GQ electrification – completed)
3. (14) TALCHAR-CUTTACK-PARADEEP DOUBLING WITH 2ND BRIDGE ON RIVERS BIRUPA AND MAHANADI (GQ doubling completed)
4. (15) DAITARI – BANSPANI NEW LINE (Port connectivity completed)
5. (19) ANGUL – SUKINDA NEW LINE (Post connectivity – under development)
6. (20) JAKHPURA- HARIDASPUR 3RD LINE DOUBLING (Port connectivity – recently sanctioned)
7. (26) RAJATGARH – BARANG DOUBLING (GQ – work in progress)
8. (27) CUTTACK – BARANG DOUBLING (GQ – work in progress)
9. (28) KHURDA ROAD – BARANG 3RD LINE DOUBLING (GQ – work in progress)
10. (44) HARIDASPUR – PARADEEP NEW LINE (Port connectivity – work in progress)
11. (53) TOMKA -BANASPANI – RE (Port connectivity, electrification, recently sanctioned)
12. (54) SAMBALPUR – TITLAGARH – DOUBLING (Port connectivity, recently sanctioned)
13. (55) RAIPUR – TITLAGARH – DOUBLING (Port connectivity, recently sanctioned)
14. (60) BANASPANI – JAKHPURA – DOUBLING (Port connectivity, electrification, unsanctioned)
15. (63) BURAMARA – CHAKULIA – NEW LINE WITH UPGRADING OF RUPSA – BURAMARA (port connectivity, new line, under development)

 With the Gopalpur port getting ready, RVNL should be soon taking up the Gunupur-Theruvali line. 

Update:Tathya has a recent report on who is pursuing which port. Following is a table based on that info.

Following is  from a report in Business Standard.

The construction work of the Rs 2460 crore Dhamara port, being developed by Dhamara Port Company Limited (DPCL), a joint venture of Tata Steel and L & T, is on track with more than one third of the work being completed.

The work is mostly concentrated around building railway connectivity, channel dredging, and berth construction.

DPCL, till date, has invested about Rs 900 crore in the project coming up in Bhadrakh district of Orissa. With the payments of balance dues for procurement of machineries due in the coming months, the investment figure is likely to increase substantially. “Work on all fronts starting from rail connectivity to Bulk Material Handling System (BMHS) is going on in full swing and more than a third of the construction work is over.

We hope to operationalise the first phase of the port by 2010”, Santosh Kumar Mohapatra, chief executive officer (CEO), DPCL told Business Standard. He said, the construction of rail connectivity from Bhadrakh to Dhamara is going on in full scale and the embankment construction is almost complete. Similarly, the construction of berths, cargo handling system, channel dredging is also going on. Meanwhile, the company has already placed orders for all the machineries.

Following is from the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=36480.

RAJYA SABHA

            The list of Ports where Railways are considering rail connectivity is given hereunder:

            The status of the proposals in Gujarat is as under :

Gujarat :

·         Gujarat Maritime Board had commissioned M/s. RITES for a feasibility cum traffic survey report for providing rail connectivity to Rozi & Bedi Port from Windmill Station in year 2003.  GMB has yet to approach Railways for rail connectivity.

·         Gujarat Maritime Board had commissioner M/s RITES for a survey to provide connectivity to Porbandar Port.  The report was submitted in June 2002.  GMB is considering constructing a rail link of 5.1 km from Porbandar to Porbandar Port at their own cost.

            This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri R. Velu in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Dharitri has a nice article on the golden future of Dhamara. Following are some of the major projects involving Dhamara. My prediction is that in 10-15 years the Chandbali-Dhamara-Bhitarakanika area will be a beautiful metropolitan area  next to a national park. (See top right in this map.)

1. L & T and the Tatas are building a port in Dhamara.
2. Central government is upgrading Dhamara fishing jetty  to an international fishing harbor.
3. Bharati Shipyard and Appejay group plan to build a shipyard in Dhamara.
4. A railway line connecting Dhamara and Bhadrakh will be build.
5. Good roads will definitely connect Dhamara to nearby National Highways.
6. Dhamara will be a major stop in National Waterway 5.
7. Dhamara is next to the Bhitarakanika National Park (more)

Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.

Though the State Government has not been successful so far to acquire lands for mega industries like Posco and Arcelor- Mittal, it has been able to acquire lands for the upcoming Dhamra Port. The Port will cater to demands of the industries coming up in the Kalinga Nagar area in Jajpur district.

… Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal said the Government had so far acquired 2,033.47 acres of land from three tehsils for Dhamra port. Under Chandbali tehsil, Government has acquired 954.74 acres of land. It has also acquired 564.64 acres of land in Tihiri and 517.27 acres in Bhadrak tehsil. 1,510 people have already got the compensation for giving their land for the port. Another, 683 people will get compensation.

The Port Authority has so far given Rs 56 crore to the district administration for the purpose of giving compensation against land acquisition.

Dharitri has a nice overview (page1, page2, page3) of the status of the various ports that Orissa plans to have. Following are some highlights from that report.

• Aditya Birla group S.L. Mining has expressed interest in developing the Chudamani port in Bhadrakh district. IIT Madras has done the technical evaluation of this project. Page 1 of the article has more details.
• Navajuga engineering of Hyderabad has proposed developing Astaranga port in Puri district. Page 1 of the article has more details.
• Puri ports limited has proposed developing the Baliharchandi port in Puri district. Page 1 of the article has more details.
• Good earth maritime of Madras has proposed developing the port in Bahuda muhana of Ganjam district. Page 1 of the article has more details.
• Gopalpur: Being developed by Orissa Stevedores. Page 2 of the article has more details.
• Dhamara:TISCO and L & T are devloping this port. Page 2 of the article has more details.
• Jatadhari: Being developed by POSCO. Page 3 of the article has more details.
• Paradip: Existing major port. We discussed its expansion plans recently.
• Palur, Ganjam: no proposals yet
• Barunei, Kendarpara: no proposals yet
• Inchudi, Balasore: no proposals yet
• Chandipur, Balasore: no proposals yet
• Bahabalpur, Balasore: no proposals yet

The article says that the Balasore district ports face problems from the Dept. of Defense because of the missile testing range nearby. The article does not mention the following plan:

• Creative ports, Chennai plans to develop the Kirtania port on the mouth of Subarnarekha in Balasore district.