In order to develop infrastructure in the State, Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra has directed the Works Department to prioritise the State Highway Development Programme (SHDP) and road projects in the Maoist-hit districts.
The Chief Secretary while reviewing the progress of the SHDP at a high-level meeting here on Thursday directed the department to prepare monthly work plans against each road project and accomplish the target each month. He also said that he would take a monthly review of each project.
The Government has envisaged the new scheme, SHDP, to improve all State Highways to two-lane standards. A target has been set to improve 2,158 km of road at a cost of around `3000 crore during the 12th Plan period. A project management cell (PMC) would be set up to manage and monitor the projects under the SHDP.
Mohapatra advised the department to engage a professional contract management agency to assist the PMC for timely accomplishment of the work targets.
Till now, the projects for 381 km involving a cost of `633 crore have been put to tender. Out of the total roads sanctioned, major roads include Banigochha-Phulbani-Nuagaon-Baliguda SH-1 of 52.52 km in Kandhamal, Shergada-Badagada-Sorada SH-36 of 38.95 km in Ganjam, Baliguda-Sindiguda SH-41of 29.86 km in Kandhamal, Parvatipur-laxmipur SH-51 of 47.35 km in Koraput, Karanjia-Thakurmunda-Satkosia-Anandapur SH-53 of 57.22 km in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar district.
The Chief Secretary advised the department to finalise contract awards against 800 km and finish tendering of balance roads by December, 2013.
Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Taradutt said the time taken for developing designs, soil testing, various clearances and interdepartmental coordination should be minimised and monthly work target should be fixed at Junior and Assistant Engineer levels.
It was decided that the road projects in the Maoist-affected districts would be reviewed by Taradutt. A total of 13 roads of 614.82 km and a bridge project involving a total cost of `949 crore have been sanctioned for the districts like Sambalpur, Rayagada, Gajapati and Malkangiri.
Official sources said that out of these projects, 12 projects have been expedited and till now more than 46 per cent of sanctioned amount have been utilised.