KOIDA: The rehabilitation and upgradation project for National Highway (NH) 520 running through the mining belts of Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts has slowed down.
Yet, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities are hoping to complete the project by December 2020. NHAI sources said that work on the 10 km stretch from Rimuli in Keonjhar is complete.
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The work on the rest of the stretch is underway. They said power utility NESCO is yet to shift electricity posts and power lines running parallel to the NH on Rimuli-Koida section.
NHAI officials said Koida-Rajamunda section in Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh district would be concrete road, adding that at some places, the base is ready and concretisation of the top would start only after monsoon.
Sources said the entire highway project from Rimuli to Rajamunda costs Rs 2,004.77 crore and is getting implemented in two packages.
The first package from Rimuli (in Keonjhar) to Koida (in Sundargarh) is for 43.2 km of four-lane bituminous road and the work was given to Montecarlo Ltd for Rs 828.36 crore.
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The second package from Sundargarh’s Koida to Rajamunda is for 53.25 km of four-lane concrete road.
The package of Rs 1,176.41 crore was bagged by a joint venture construction firm KMC-RKD.
NHAI Project Director Sourav Chaurasia said the project is moving satisfactorily and it would be completed by 2020 end.