Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is planning to set up wayside amenity centres along National Highways, State Highways, Expressways and major district roads to provide basic facilities to long-distance drivers and tourists.
The proposal was discussed in a high-level meeting chaired by Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Thursday. The centres are being planned at every 50 km. Once operational, truck drivers, bus passengers and four-wheeler users will be able to access essential services at these points, officials said.
Each wayside amenity centre will have separate toilets for men and women, an EV charging station, petrol pump, food court and a rest house.
For the first phase, the government plans to sign agreements with various central public sector oil companies. The state government will provide the required land while the oil companies will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the facilities.
The Minister said the initiative is part of the broader push to strengthen the road network and make travel safer under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Providing minimum roadside amenities has become necessary with increasing highway traffic, he said.
The meeting was attended by Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Works Department Special Secretary Sameer Hota, NHAI Regional Officer Pradeep Lal, Chief Engineer (NH) Narayan Patel, and senior officials from the Works Department, Tourism Department and HPCL.
Officials said site identification and coordination with oil companies will begin soon to roll out the centres in a phased manner.
