BHUBANESWAR, Odisha: Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 28 National Highway (NH) projects worth ₹6,600 crore through video conferencing in Odisha.
Among the inaugurated projects were a 79km four-lane road between Baharagora and Singhara on NH-49, valued at ₹1,203 crore, and a 78 km six-lane road from Chandikhol to Bhadrak on NH-16, costing ₹2,035 crore.
Gadkari stated, “The total length of national highways in the state has increased from 4,639 km to 5,753 kms. The ministry has allocated nearly ₹1.50 lakh-crore for highway development in Odisha.”
“From 2014 to 2024, around 4,250 km of roads were constructed in Odisha, with an expenditure of approximately ₹33,000 crore,” he said.
“Projects for another 1,312 km of national highways, with an investment of ₹22,000 crore, are underway and expected to be completed during 2024-25,” he added.
Gadkari also announced plans for various projects, including a 111km greenfield ring road around Bhubaneswar city, costing ₹6,253 crore.
This project will be divided into two packages and is expected to benefit the residents of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Khurda.
Under package-I, 71km six-lane road will be constructed from Rameswar to Govindpur with a total cost of ₹4,426 crore while road from Govindpur to Tangi (40 km) will be taken up under package-II with a cost of ₹2,287 crore, Gadkari highlighted.
A 35km four-lane green field ring road will be constructed in Sambalpur at a cost of ₹1,333 crore, with work scheduled to begin in October 2024, he said.
Gadkari emphasised the government’s focus on infrastructure development under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, stating that by the end of this year, Odisha’s national highway network will resemble roads in the USA.