Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Thursday announced that the coastal road connecting Odisha with West Bengal would get a National Highway (NH) status for which Centre would spend Rs 5,000 crore on the improvement of this 500-km road.
Addressing a function near Pipili to dedicate the four-laning of the 67-km Bhubaneswar-Puri section of NH-316 to the nation ahead of Nabakalebar Rath Yatra, Gadkari said the detailed project report (DPR) for the new NH from Gopalpur to Digha would be prepared before December. The major portion of the new NH would pass through the Odisha coast, he added.
Gadkari also declared the 40-km long New Jagannath Sadak connecting NH-5 and NH-316 as a National Highway. He said the Centre is ready to construct better roads in the minerals-rich State and sought the support of the Odisha Government in the endeavour. "I assure the Chief Minister that the Centre would take up road projects in Odisha on a priority basis to make the State developed," Gadkari said.
Besides Gadkari, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, State Agriculture Minister and Pipili MlA Pradeep Maharathy also addressed the function attended by about 50,000 people. Maharathy virtually threatened Gadkari during his speech for his name not being mentioned in the NHAI advertisement release for the purpose. "Tumko Ye Future me Bahut Bhari Padega," he thundered. The function was arranged near Pipili, the Assembly constituency of Maharathy.