Bhubaneswar: With an aim to strengthen connectivity and fast-track infrastructure projects, the Odisha government on Monday unveiled plans to develop an outer ring road for Cuttack as part of a broader push to balanced development in the state.
Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandah, who chaired a high-level review meeting in Bhubaneswar, directed the department to expedite all ongoing and proposed road projects to align with the state’s vision of achieving a Vikasit Odisha by 2036.
Stating that development should not be confined to major urban centres, he said strong road connectivity between cities and different regions is crucial for inclusive growth. “We can ensure balanced development only when every part of the state is well connected,” said the Minister.
Referring to Cuttack’s growing traffic burden, the Minister proposed an outer ring road for the millennium city on the lines of Bhubaneswar’s expansion model.
Harichandan also underlined the need to upgrade the Cuttack–Sambalpur National Highway-55 to six lanes to strengthen connectivity between Western and Eastern Odisha.
As part of the infrastructure push, several state highways linking different regions will be widened to four lanes. The Minister asked officials to begin survey work immediately and submit detailed project reports to the government without delay.
Officials said several key urban and regional road projects were reviewed during the meeting. These include he Jayadev Vihar–Nandankanan Road, Left Parallel Road, Patharagadia–Daruthenga Road, the proposed Kelucharan–Phulnakhara Road, Palasuni–Garage Chhak stretch, Acharya Vihar–Kalinga Hospital Road, Kaimatia Chhak–Gothapatna Road, Gohira–Chatabar–Madanpur Road and the AIIMS Road.
The meeting also took stock of major national highway projects such as the widening of the Konark–Puri–Satapada Road, a new alignment of the Pipili–Konark Road, construction of the Cuttack–Kandarpur and Kandarpur–Balikuda roads, and the Jeypore and Balangir bypasses.
