Bhubaneswar: A grand new road between the capital city and Cuttack for better connectivity will be a reality soon.
Public Works Secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan announced the plan for a four-lane 64-km bypass from Khurda to Manguli at the plenary session of India Roads Congress (IRC) here today. The detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed road will be prepared soon, he told media persons.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stressed on use of industrial waste in the construction of roads during his address after formally inaugurating the 75th IRC. “Fly ash to the tune of 25.307 million tonnes and 0.828 million tonnes of slag are being produced in Odisha every year.
The disposal of these materials is a really troublesome task for the producers and a menace for the state. I propose that sufficient thought should be given to utilizing the industrial wastes,” the chief minister said while addressing the Platinum Jubilee session of the Indian Roads Congress here.
He said the government is spending about 25 percent of its budget on road construction in the state. “I understand that road infrastructure will pave the way for other infrastructure.
I have given thought to connecting all the backward districts with industrial areas. Recently, we have tendered for Biju Expressway, which would connect the industrial city of Rourkela with Raipur in Chhattisgarh,” Patnaik said. The Vizaywada-Ranchi corridor, which has been substantially completed, connects 12 tribal districts.
He said the government has launched the State Highways Development Programme to improve all state highways.
It has also launched the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana this year, which would take care of the roads not developed under any other scheme.
The chief minister said engineers have been asked to adopt the quickest method of bridge construction for rural connectivity.
(With IANS inputs)