Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday alleged that the Centre has significantly scaled down the originally proposed Coastal Highway project for Odisha, leaving out large stretches of the state’s coastline, particularly in Bhadrak and Balasore districts.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, BJD vice president Sanjay Das Burma said the Coastal Highway project approved by the Union Cabinet falls far short of the ambitious plan announced more than a decade ago and has disappointed the people of Odisha.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a 160.188-km Greenfield Coastal Highway from Rameswar to Paradip via Konark under National Highway-90 in the first phase. The project has been sanctioned at an estimated cost of over Rs 8,300 crore.
While welcoming the Cabinet nod, Das Burma said the project in its present form excludes the extensive coastal stretch from Paradip to Digha covering large parts of Bhadrak and Balasore districts, which were part of the original proposal.
The coastal highway is not merely a road project but a transformative initiative linked to Odisha’s tourism potential, economic growth, disaster management capabilities, and overall development of the coastal belt, he said.
The former minister recalled that Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had in 2015 announced the construction of a nearly 450-km Coastal Highway from Gopalpur in Odisha to Digha in West Bengal.
After waiting for eleven years, the Union Cabinet has approved only two stretches – Rameswar to Konark and Konark to Paradip. “This is far from the original form the original vision presented to the people of Odisha,” Das Burma claimed.