A delegation of Parliamentarians from Odisha met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Monday and discussed about the progress of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) projects in the State. BJD MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Chandrani Murmu, Sarojini Hembram and Amar Patnaik along with Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka and BJP MPs Basant Panda, Aparajita Sarangi and Sangeeta Singh Deo held talks with Gadkari. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and VK Singh were present during the meeting.
NHAI Chief General Manager Ram Prasad Panda informed the Union Ministers and Parliamentarians that the Odisha Government has provided all kinds support to complete the highway projects in the State. In the current fiscal, the NHAI has a target to convert 366 km of NHs in the State into four-lane and six-lane.
He also informed that budgetary allocations of approximately Rs 20,000 crore have been made by the Centre to carry out the NH works. The NHAI has so far carried out 173 km of highway construction in the State.
In January, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy had held a review meeting with NHAI officials on the progress of different NH-widening and construction works.