Odisha To Approve Redesigned Coastal Highway Map!

Bhubaneswar: After a six-year standoff over the design of the proposed coastal highway project, the Odisha government is all set to approve the redesigned map by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Sources said that Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra is scheduled to preside over a high-level meeting on Tuesday in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Pradeep Jena, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment & Climate Change Mona Sharma, principal secretary, Revenue Bishnupada Sethi and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Odisha head RP Panda.

The meeting will deliberate on the redesigned map of the coastal highway following a meeting between the state government and the Centre, the projected expenditure, land acquisition and the impact of the proposed project on the environment.

Also Read: Centre Modifies Odisha’s Coastal Highway Alignment

As per the realignment, the proposed coastal highway will be about 400 km from Tangi in Khurda district to Digha in Balasore district. It will pass through six districts—Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore— via Brahmagiri, Puri, Konark, Astarang, Naugan, Paradip Port, Ratanpur, Satabhaya, Dhamra, Basudevpur, Talapada, Chandipur and Chandaneswar.

The projected cost has been estimated at Rs 9000 crore.

Also Read: Jolt To Odisha As Centre Redesigns Coastal Highway Map