Bhubaneswar: Minister for Law, Works, and Excise, Shri Prithviraj Harichandan, has directed senior officials and engineers of the Works Department to accelerate the pace of infrastructure projects to align with the Prime Minister’s vision for the state’s development.
Reviewing various developmental initiatives at Lok Seva Bhawan, the Minister emphasized that achieving the goal of a Developed Odisha by 2036 requires the swift execution of road and infrastructure projects through modern software and advanced technology.
Principal Secretary Works, Shri Sanjay Kumar Singh outlined the discussion points and presented details in the meeting. Principal Secretary Shri Singh harped on ensuring quality and speed in project delivery.
During the review meeting, Minister Shri Harichandan highlighted that holistic state development cannot be achieved by focusing solely on major cities. He stressed the need for robust connectivity from different regions of the state to urban hubs. Key highlights of the proposed plans include:
Cuttack Outer Ring Road: Similar to the expanded plans for Bhubaneswar, a proposal for an outer ring road for Cuttack is being prioritized to streamline traffic.
NH-55 Expansion: Discussions were held regarding the 6-laning of the Cuttack-Sambalpur National Highway-55 to strengthen the link between Western and Eastern Odisha.
State Highway Upgrades: The Minister directed officials to conduct surveys and submit reports for upgrading all state highways connecting various corners of the state into 4-lane roads.
Capital Region and Strategic Road Projects The meeting reviewed several critical road projects in and around the capital region to improve traffic flow and accessibility.
These include: Jayadev Vihar-Nandankanan Road and Left Parallel Road, Patharagadia-Daruthenga and the proposed Kelucharan-Phulnakhara roads, Palasuni to Garage Chhak and Acharya Vihar to Kalinga Hospital stretches and Kaimatia Chhak to Gothapatna and Gohiria to Chhatabar via Madanpur (AIIMS road) widening and land acquisition.
Tourism and Logistics Corridors Beyond the capital, the expansion of high-traffic tourism and logistics routes was also addressed. Plans involve the widening of the Konark-Puri-Satapada road and a new alignment for the Pipili-Konark road. Additionally, progress on the Cuttack-Kandarpur, Kandarpur-Balikuda, Jeypore Bypass, and Balangir Bypass roads was evaluated.
The meeting was attended by OBCC Managing Director Shri Anupam Saha, and senior Engineers-in-Chiefs and Chief Engineers.