June 29th 2024.
In Rourkela, the expansion of National Highway 320D has hit a number of roadblocks, causing further delays to the already behind-schedule project. The obstacles mainly revolve around the planning and the acquisition of land, and unfortunately, there is no immediate solution in sight. This has caused a lot of frustration as the project was expected to greatly improve the overall infrastructure of Sundargarh district by creating an industrial corridor between Odisha and Jharkhand. However, the project has now been pushed into rough weather, and its future remains uncertain.
The National Highways Division in Rourkela has taken on the ambitious project, which involves connecting various areas such as Chakradharpur, Sonua, Goelkera, Manoharpur, Jaraikela, and Rourkela. This would require the highway to pass through the border of Odisha and Jharkhand. The first phase of the project, which involves constructing a 25.450-km stretch between Jareikela and Rourkela Steel Plant stock yard, has been allocated a budget of Rs 172 crore. A company from Chhattisgarh has been awarded the tender for construction, and they were expected to begin work at the beginning of 2024. However, things have not gone as planned.
One major issue that has arisen is the opposition from the residents of Bisra town. The highway was supposed to pass through the town, but the locals have raised concerns about the safety of such a plan. According to them, allowing a highway to pass through the town would be dangerous and could lead to accidents. As a result, the stretch passing through Bisra town has been excluded from the first phase of the project. A similar situation has also arisen in Bondamunda. In addition to these hurdles, there are other roadblocks such as acquiring land that belongs to the Railways and the Rourkela Steel Plant.
When asked about the project, the Assistant Executive Engineer of NHD, PK Mohapatra, stated that the highway would touch NH-143 at Hockey Chowk and that they were currently trying to resolve issues with the Railways and the RSP. However, a departmental official revealed that the RSP land could be a major issue as the original plan involves the highway passing through Rourkela city. This has sparked strong opposition from RSP, who have raised their objections at the highest level. They believe that having an NH pass through the middle of a city is a completely irresponsible plan that could cause major problems, especially during peak hours.
RSP had previously written to the NHD in 2022, expressing their concerns about the portion of the Ring Road from Bisra to Hanuman Vatika Chowk being a part of NH-320D. They have suggested diverting the road from the SAIL stockyard and connecting it to NH-143 near Jalda instead. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has floated tenders for the project twice, but none of them have addressed the issues raised by RSP and others. As a result, the project remains at a standstill, and there seems to be no solution in sight for the various obstacles it is facing.
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