If Odisha can initiate a plan to have an alternative Kolkata-Chennai route, in terms of building railway and highway passing through Kharagpur, Baripada, Talcher, Phulbani, Bhawanipatna, Nabarangpur, Jeypore, Malkangiri, Motu, Bhadrachalam and Vijayawada as a heartline, it will bring development in service, add new investment in these places and change the perception, said NRO Prof Digambar Patra of the American University of Beirut.

Moreover, the 100 km radius of such a highway will bring together northern, eastern central and southern districts, minimizing regional feeling, he said in a letter to CM Naveen Patnaik.

While hailing the development plan of present Kolkata-Chennai route via Baleswar, Bhubaneswar and Brahmapur covering 400 km distance in Odisha, Prof Patra said the proposed route via Baripada, Bhawanipatna and Motu will cover 750 km distance benefiting Odisha the most. Such a route will boost many tourist locations along the route.

The way the Odisha Government made the Biju expressway including the national highway and the state highway, the proposed expressway can be easily constructed.

For instance, there is already a 4 lane national highway from Kolkata to Baripada and an existing national and State highway from Baripada to Tumudibandh (Kandhamal) except that a bridge over Mahanadi to connect Purunakatak (Boudh) directly may further straighten the route.

Similarly, there is a State and national highway from Tumudhibandh to Bhawanipatna. But the curve via Madanpur Rampur can be shortened by converting a village road between Tumudibandh (Kandhamal) and Lanjigarh road (Kalahandi) to highway. This will also boost Lanjigarh road as a railway junction and develop this locality. Bhawanipatna to Bhadrachalam via Motu has an existing national highway. A large part of the proposed heartline passing from Baripada to Motu has a national highway and many of them are to be converted to 4 lanes or 6 lanes. The Odisha Government just needs to work with the Central Government to convert them as soon as possible and make all the State highways and a couple of small village roads, such as Lanjigarh road to Tumudibandh to 4 lane highways, he said.

When it comes to the railways, there is an existing rail line from Lanjigarh road to Junagarh road. Construction work has just begun for Jeypore to Nabarangpur and Jeypore to Malkangiri. A survey has been done from Junagarh road to Nabarangpur and Lanjigarh road to Talcher.

There was a proposal to survey from Malkangiri to Bhadrachalam road and Talcher to Kharagpur via Baripada. Since it will be a huge investment, this will be the most challenging aspect of this route which may discourage railways.  However, it is associated with the development of hinterland and tribal-dominated regions of Odisha, making it in the greater interest of the Odisha State. Therefore, the Odisha Government has to act proactively, he added.