Odisha Govt Urges NHAI To Take Up Paradip-Barbil Economic Corridor

Bhubaneswar: The state government has stressed on the need for development of an economic corridor from Paradeep to Bhadrasahi-Barbil considering the business potentiality of the area.

Chairing a joint review meeting of NH projects on Friday, chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra advised that NHAI should go ahead for land acquisition to have 100-metre right-of-way (ROW) along this road for all future use including provision of assorted utilities. He assured that the state government would provide all support for land acquisition for the ROW. It was decided in principle that NHAI and state would jointly develop the ROW.

Speaking at the meet, Secretary, Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Giridhar Aramane appreciated Odisha Model of National Highway (NH) improvement. “All officers from the level of chief secretary to DFO and executing engineers are well conversant with alignment of the roads, progress of each project and ground level issues that need to be tackled,” he said.

He advised the field level NHAI officers to be in regular touch with district collectors and Divisional Forest Officers for quick resolution of the issues in the process of implementation.

The progress of different NH projects was reviewed in the meeting. Considering various contours of the ground level issues, Chief Secretary set timelines for different phases of the work against each project. The DFOs and Collectors were also directed to resolve the issues proactively, and provide all possible support for completion of the projects within the scheduled timeline.

Presenting the updates about NH projects in Odisha, Additional Director General NHAI Dharmananda Sadangi said 38 NHs running over 5753 kms passed through 30 districts of the State. Out of this, 19 roads of 2920 km length were managed by NHAI, and other 19 roads of 2833 kms by works department of the State.

Secretary, Works Krishan Kumar spoke on the progress of different NH roads in the state. The work in Panikoili-Rimuli section of NH-20 has been hastened with one side of Belabahali bridge opened to traffic in January. Similarly, the development of  Rimuli-Koida section of NH-520 has made substantial progress. It was targeted to start commercial operation on the road by March, he added.

The issues relating to disbursement of the compensation awards against land acquisition, forest diversion, compensatory afforesation, construction of animal under pass (AUP), elephant under pass (EUP), and vehicle under pass (VUP), payment of user fee by State carriage buses, wild life clearances about certain patches of some roads, handing over the physical possession of land to the NHAI etc were discussed and resolved in the meeting.

Senior officers of NHAI and state government participated in the meeting.