Bhubaneswar: The 84th Annual Session of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) is currently being held in Odisha. This event marks the sixth time Odisha has hosted the IRC since its establishment in 1934, the previous session having taken place a decade ago in 2015. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and address the conference.
Addressing a press conference at Janata Maidan, Odisha’s Law, Works and Excise Minister Shri Prithviraj Harichandan shared that the conference is intended to be a vital platform for knowledge exchange among experts and engineers in road infrastructure. He also informed attendees that 75,000 km of roads are planned to be constructed in Odisha over the next five years.
The four-day event, running from November 7 to 10, has gathered over 3,500 delegates, including engineers, researchers, policymakers, and industry experts from across India. The session’s theme is ‘Major Advances in Highway Technology and Policy’. The goal is to foster knowledge sharing, technological exchange, and collaboration to strengthen India’s road infrastructure.
The inaugural ceremony will be graced by the Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Ministers Shri Ajay Tamta and Shri Harsh Malhotra, Odisha Minister for Law, Works and Excise Shri Prithviraj Harichandan, and Madhya Pradesh Public Works Minister Shri Rakesh Singh.
Other key officials present include IRC President Shri Manoranjan Parida, Principal Secretary of the Works Department Shri Sanjay Kumar Singh and Local Organising Secretary Er. Manas Ranjan Behera.
IRC serves as a premier professional body for road engineers and planners in India, promoting innovation and best practices in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, bridges, and tunnels nationwide.
The annual session brings together engineers, policy makers, researchers, academicians, industry stakeholders, and public authorities from across the country. Participants include central and state government departments such as NHAI, MoRTH, BRO, MES, NRIDA, NHIDCL, State Public Works Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, IITs, engineering institutions, research organisations, and contracting agencies.
The Congress features 19 thematic sessions focusing on innovation, sustainable road construction, cost optimization, and advanced tunneling techniques. Key meetings include the 235th IRC Council Meeting and the 85th Indian Roads Research Board Meeting.
A major attraction is the ‘Open-to-Sky’ Exhibition, where 20 stalls are displaying live demonstrations of road-building technologies, including mechanized mastic asphalt, fly ash utilization, porous concrete, and Nano-Modified Bitumen (NMB).