Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to ask the NHAI to resolve the water-logging problem at different places in the city along NH-16, particularly near the Iskcon temple.
In a letter, the Chief Minister informed that the service lane along the NH near the Iskcon temple is getting inundated to a height of 3 ft during rains, resulting in severe disruption of road traffic and damages to parked vehicles. Similar situation is also occurring near Jaydev Vihar square, Rasulgarh/ Palasuni and Pahala on NH-16.
Flooding has been occurring as the solid high embankment of the NH constructed without provision of adequate discharge points and ventages.
Hence, the NHAI authorities have been requested many times to construct a drain along the service lane from the Iskcon area to Vani Vihar for smooth discharge of the rainwater and provide similar provisions near Rasulgarh/Palasuni and Pahala on NH-16. But the issues have not yet been addressed and the situation is getting bad to worse, the Chief Minster mentioned.
“In view of the above, I would request your kind intervention for an early solution to these issues,” wrote the Chief Minister.