Odisha sanctions 29 roads in LWE hit districts

Odisha government has sanctioned 29 road projects to upgrade connectivity in the left wing extremism affected Malkangiri and Koraput districts, official sources said.

The projects at an estimated cost of Rs 350.52 crore were sanctioned in the first governing body meeting of the newly constituted Odisha State Rural Connectivity Project Agency (OSRCPA) held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary A P Padhi yesterday.

Padhi directed officials to expedite the process of tender, award of work and complete the project before scheduled time.

The chief secretary also directed to ensure quality of the construction through regular check and monitoring. “It was decided that the chief engineer, DPI & Roads, would ensure timely completion of tendering process,” they said.

The new technologies like cement treated sub-base, nano-technology and others would be adopted for the project to make it cost saving and facilitate speedy implementation.

A 3-tire quality monitoring system would be put in place.

Of the 29 road projects, 13 roads would be at Boipariguda, Koraput, Lamatapur, Nrayanpatana, and Semiliguda blocks of Koraput district. The remaining 16 roads were identified in Kalimela, Khairaput, Korukunda, Kudumuluguma, Malkangiri, Mathili and Podia blocks.

The projects would be implemented with fund support from central and state governments on 60:40 sharing basis, said Chief Engineer (DPI & Roads) Om Prakash Patel.