Even as the State Government has set an ambitious target to widen over 2,100 km of the National Highway to two lanes, the development of the proposed NH-215 from Panikoili of Jajpur district to Rajamunda of Sundargarh district is hanging fire even after a decade.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) declared the 262.62 km stretch from Panikoili-Rimuli-Rajamunda as NH-215 in 1999 and in 2003 it decided on four-laning of the highway.
The NHAI floated tenders in July 2010 for four-laning of the the highway in two phases __ Panikoili to Rimuli (166.17 km) and Rimuli to Rajamunda (96.45 km) __ after a gap of seven years. It was then estimated to cost `1,662 crore. Considered to be the economic lifeline of the mineral-rich Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts, the four-laning of the NH-215 includes a proposal for construction of by-pass roads at Jajpur Road, Anandpur, Ghatagaon, Keonjhar, Jhumpura, Koida, K Balanga and Lahunipada through which the highway passes.
The project is moving at a snail’s pace due to delay in land acquisition and conversion of forest land, official sources said.
The central agency required 1,629 hectares of land for four-laning of the NH and construction of by-pass roads. Even the construction of the proposed by-pass roads could not be taken up due to land problem, the sources said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made a review of the National Highway projects where the Works department stated that many of the projects could not make much headway due to delay in land acquisition and apathy of the Revenue and the Forest and Environment departments. Besides, the district collectors concerned are not making periodic review of the projects.
Instructions have been issued by the Chief Minister to the departments concerned and the district collectors to expedite the process of land acquisition and extend support to the executing agency.
Sources said the delay in land acquisition is mainly due to shortage of staff. The work will be executed in build, operate and transfer mode.