49 road projects to be inaugurated soon: Min

Bhubaneswar: Construction of 49 road projects worth Rs 1,721 crore has been completed and will be inaugurated soon, works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said after chairing a review meeting, here on Monday.Similarly, the foundation of 47 new projects worth Rs 12,102 crore will soon be laid, the minister added. “The Centre is always ready to provide more support to Odisha. Many projects are currently under construction in the state, and more projects are set to become operational. Keeping this in mind, we must work in a planned manner,” Harichandan advised department officials in the meeting.In the meeting, officials discussed 30 ongoing projects, 14 awaiting work orders, and four in the tendering process. Among these are ongoing projects such as the Bhanjanagar to Aska road, Riamal bypass road, Berhampur bypass, Khariar road ROB, Puri-Matiapada ROB, Nayagarh bypass, Kesinga ROB, high-level bridge on Malkangiri-Motu road, Kandarapur-Balikuda road, Kotpad bypass road and others.“With collective cooperation, we have performed better in infrastructure development compared to previous years. However, to maintain this momentum and accelerate project implementation, we need to set independent targets,” said Harichandan.Discussions also included projects awaiting work orders and those in the tender process. Works dept secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh addressed the department officials, chief engineers and executive engineers, emphasising the need for greater efficiency in advancing project work by coordinating with various departments on land acquisition, forest land approval, utility shifting, and accurate planning and design.