BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Tuesday voiced strong opposition to the cancellation of the tender for state’s coastal highway project by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), describing it as a ‘double betrayal by the double-engine government’.
BJD vice-president and former minister Sanjay Das Burma told a media conference here that the development has thrown the long-delayed project into uncertainty yet again. He said under the Centre’s Bharatmala project, 413 km-long coastal highway was planned and formally announced by Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari at Pipili on July 9, 2015. It was proposed that the route from Ratanpur to Chandanpur would be declared a national highway and connected with the proposed coastal highway.
The proposed length of the coastal highway was later changed to 346 km. Das Burma said initially it was decided that the highway would be of four-lane and tenders were invited accordingly.
But now, after re-evaluation, there are indications that it may be downgraded to a two-lane road, which is completely unacceptable, he said. He urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to immediately discuss the matter with the Centre and ensure that the project is executed as originally planned.