Orissa Road Projects to get Rs 1, 406 crore world bank aid

The Financial Express reported the following:

Of the total amount, Rs 415 crore would be invested during the current financial year to build the 68 km Bhawanipatna- Khariar road, 95 km stretch of Chandbali-Bhadrak-Anandapur road and 41 km Berhampur-Taptapani road. The Sambalpur- Rourkela, Joda-Bambri and Koira- Tensa-Rajamunda roads will be widened under the PPP mode.

The New Indian Express also reported that:

there is also a proposal to set up a Construction Academy akin to ne in Hyderabad to assist the capacity building activities of the state Government. The academy will train contractors and workers with modern construction techniques.

The New Indian Express goes on to say:

Earlier central government promised to:

(1) improve 1,000 km of National Highway of the State

(2) get Rs 2,200 crore under NHDP over a period of five years.

(3) have a mechanism to spend Rs 480 crore annually for development f National Highways against the present fund od Rs 80 crore from he National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

(4) construct Khordha-Balangir NH 224

These are few good inititives for developing road infrastructure of Orissa. In the first step such initiatives should be taken to directly link all district headquarters with the state capital in the shortest possible route through either national highway or Orissa Road project.