Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday launched a slew of highway and port projects worth ₹6,000 crore in Odisha and said another ₹2.5 lakh crore would be pumped in to boost the infrastructure here but the State must cooperate by expediting land acquisition process.
The Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Minister laid foundation for three National Highway projects worth ₹2,345 crore at Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district of Odisha. These projects include four-laning of the Talcher-Kamakhyanagar section of NH-200/23, Kamakhyanagar-Duburi section of NH-200 and Duburi-Chandikhole section of NH-200, the officials said.
He also inaugurated a port project worth ₹431 crore and laid foundation for six others costing ₹3,206 crore at a function at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district.
Stating that the length of National Highways in Odisha has more than doubled in the last four years from 4,632 km in 2014 to 9,426 km in 2018, Mr. Gadkari said the Centre was spending nearly ₹1 lakh crore on NH in the State. He added investments worth ₹2.5 lakh crore would be made soon to strengthen the State’s transportation sector.
Speaking on infrastructure projects which are stuck due to issues like land acquisition, forest and environment clearances, the Union Minister said the State government should cooperate in addressing these issues.
Mr. Gadkari added that NH projects worth over ₹6,000 crore have been completed in the State. Several other projects worth ₹4,500 crore are scheduled for completion this year, he said.
The Minister announced that a 262 km-long waterway, combining Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers, will be developed from Kalinganagar to Dhamra via Paradip at a cost of ₹5,000 crore.
Speaking on the port-led industrialisation, Mr. Gadkari said 34 projects worth ₹20,000 crore have been identified for Odisha under Sagarmala. Among the projects launched was a multipurpose berth for handling clean cargo for diversifying its freight profile. Its capacity is 5 MMTPA at an estimated cost of ₹430.78 crore, officials said.
