Govt steps up efforts to accelerate road, infrastructure development

Bhubaneswar: The state govt stepped up efforts to accelerate road and infrastructure development as part of its vision to build a developed Odisha by 2036.Works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Monday directed senior officers and engineers of the works department to expedite the projects by adopting modern technology.Reviewing ongoing and proposed road projects, the minister said development must extend beyond major urban centres and focus on strengthening connectivity across regions. “A robust communication network linking all parts of the state to major cities is essential for balanced growth,” he said.A major focus of the discussion was on Cuttack, where the minister emphasised the need for an outer ring road on the lines of the Bhubaneswar city expansion plan.

Officials were asked to work out detailed plans to decongest the city and improve traffic flow.The widening of the Cuttack–Sambalpur NH-55 into 6 lanes also came up, with the aim of strengthening East–West connectivity between coastal and western Odisha. The minister also directed that all NHs should be converted to at least 4 lanes.In Bhubaneswar, several key arterial roads and corridors were reviewed, including construction, widening, and land acquisition issues.

These include the Jayadev Vihar–Nandankanan Road, the Left Parallel Road, and the Pathargadia–Daruthenga road.Besides, discussions were also held on the proposed Kelucharan Park–Phulnakhara Road, the Palasuni to Garage Chhak stretch, the Acharya Vihar–Kalinga Hospital Road, and the Kaimatia Chhak to Gothpatna road. Connectivity projects such as Gohiria to Chhatabar via Madanpur were also discussed.The minister underlined the need to upgrade state highways connecting different parts of Odisha into 4-lane roads and directed officials to immediately initiate survey work and submit detailed reports to the govt.Apart from urban roads, the widening of major highways connecting Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was also reviewed. These include the Konark–Puri–Satapada road, a new alignment for the Pipili–Konark road, and construction of the Cuttack–Kandarpur and Kandarpur–Balikuda stretches.Progress on bypass projects such as the Jaipur bypass and Balangir bypass roads also figured in the deliberations. “Connectivity is the key to development of any particular state. The works department is focused on this sector,” a works department official said.