Pending finalisation of the first-ever Odisha Road Policy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched a Rs 3,200-crore Biju Expressway Project to be constructed between Jagdalpur and Rourkela in next five years.
The 656-km economic corridor, to be constructed in two phases, would pass through four KBK districts, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada, and four districts of western Odisha, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh. The first phase would be completed by May 2017 and the second phase by May 2019.
The corridor is aimed at connecting border towns like Chandli, Boriguma, Nabarangpur, Papadahandi, Ambapani, Dharmagarh, Sinapali, Nuapada, Paikamal, Padampur, Sohella, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundagarah and Rourkela.
In the first phase, 254 km of the corridor would be converted into four lanes and 402 km made two lanes at a cost of Rs 1,471 crore. In the second phase, 258 km would be made four lanes at a cost of Rs 1,729 crore.
After completion of the project, it would take just six hours against the present 13 hours to travel from Jagdalpur to Rourkela.
The Chief Minister said the expressway would be immensely helpful in boosting the socio-economic condition of western Odisha and KBK districts, improving the administrative efficiency and ushering in an era of development, peace and harmony.
Patnaik, launching the project from State Secretariat, said the massive connectivity network would help boost agriculture, trade and commerce and social sector development.
The Government decided to launch the Biju Expressway Project after the Vijayawada-Ranchi corridor, initiated in 2006-07, helped the economy of the State’s central and eastern districts immensely, he said.
On enhancement of irrigation potential, he said, the Government has already proposed a lower Indra Irrigation Project, which would irrigate an Ayacut area of 29,900 hectares in Khariar, Boden, Bangomunda, Muribahal and Titilagarh blocks. “To tap the growth in agriculture construction of the expressway demands added priority,” he said.
According to official sources, the expressway project would be implemented with funds from both Union and State Governments. The State Government has already started four-laning of the 160-km Rourkela-Sambalpur highway through public-private partnership mode.
The four-laning of the 74-km road from Sambalpur to Sohella via Bargarh would be undertaken by the Union Government. The double-laning of the 119-km road from Sohella to Nuapada in western Odisha via Padampur would be undertaken by the State Government through the its highway development programme. The four-laning of the road would be undertaken after acquisition of land, the sources said.