A high-level meeting attended by District Collector Niranjan Nayak, Sub-Collector Pratap Kumar Mishra, senior officials of the district administration, apart from NHAI PD Anil Dixit and other representatives took up the issue of shifting of Srirampur toll gate to Masakani.
The NHAI representatives were reminded of a meeting held in June 2010 under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary of Odisha for shifting of the Srirampur toll plaza as the distance between Srirampur toll plaza and Tangi toll plaza is just 35 km, which violates the guidelines of the NHAI. Collector Nayak said that a decision had been taken in the 2010 meeting that the Principal Secretary, State Commerce and Transport Department with Government officials, representatives from the NHAI, New Delhi and its Bhubaneswar unit’s PD would locate a suitable place for relocation of the toll plaza at Srirampur as per the prescribed norms of the NHAI. The team had made a field visit on September 2, 2010 and submitted its report to the Government on feasible locations for shifting the Srirampur toll plaza. The State Government after careful consideration of the matter had directed that the toll plaza of Srirampur be relocated. Though more than two and a half years have passed, but the shifting of the toll gate was yet to be done. As a result, the denizens of Kendrapada are suffering as they have to pay toll at both the toll plazas.
In the meeting, the NHAI representatives assured the district administration to take necessary steps for shifting of the toll plaza. The meeting also took up the traffic snarl created because of iron ore truck jam on Paradip-Daitary Expressway and other major problems on NH-5(A).