Odisha Cabinet okays Rs 3,000 cr highway expansion plan

Double laning of 2,158 km of state highways likely to be completed by end of the 12th Plan period

The state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today cleared a proposal for double laning of 2,158.26 km of state highways (SH) by the end of the 12th Plan period (2012-17). The work on two-laning is estimated to cost Rs 3,000 crore that excludes cost of land acquisition.

“Out of about 4,900 km of SH, double laning of 2,700 km is either commissioned or at various stages of completion. The balance 2,158 km length is expected to be completed in four years at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore,” said chief secretary J K Mohapatra after the Cabinet meet.

As per the decision of the state government, all state highways are to be upgraded to two-lane corridors by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan under State Highways Development Programme (SHDP). While double laning of 30 km of SH is targeted to be completed this fiscal at a cost of Rs 100 crore, in 2014-15, 350 km length will be covered at an investment of Rs 750 crore. In 2015-16 and 2016-17, the state government has set physical targets to double lane 750 km and 1,028.26 km respectively.

Augmentation of SH is considered necessary in the light of growing pace of industrialisation and mining activities. The highways play an important role in improving connectivity to important places as well as improve accessibility to different ports in the state. Improvement of SH is set to enhance better accessibility to tackle law and order situation in the areas affected by left wing extremism.