BJP MlA Dilip Ray on Wednesday brought to the notice of Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari the inordinate delay in implementation of the Four-lane Birmitrapur-Barkot NH-143 Highway Project in New Delhi. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram was also present.
Both Odisha leaders told Gadkari that the 126-km four-lane project from Birmitrapur near the Jharkhand border via Kuarmunda, Veda Vyas, Rourkela, lathikata, Chandiposh, Bonai and finally to Barkot connecting the NH-6 with a number of bridges including one ROB on river Brahamani, Rourkela has remained in jeopardy since December 2012 when the work same was supposed to commence.
The Gammon India Private limited (GIPl), a sister concern of Gammon India limited, which was awarded the work on May 31, 2012 by the NHAI on public-private partnership (PPP) mode for 25 years at a cost of `1034 crore could not start the project because of problems relating to land acquisition and forest and environment clearances and has withdrawn from the project. Ray informed that the only river bridge available to any kind of access or exit to and from any direction to Rourkela and located on river Brahmani, a conglomerate of three rivers, was constructed during the 1950s with the birth of the Rourkela Steel Plant. This project was also executed by the Gammons.
As years passed by, the volume of trade, especially of iron ore and other minerals, has increased manifold. With the surge of industrial growth, the bridge has to remain busy throughout the day, causing traffic jams. The old bridge developed cracks on its surface affecting smooth passage of traffic and had to be repaired time and again. Ray apprehended that the bridge would give way causing a huge mishap.