JAGATSINGHPUR: Uncertainty looms over the proposed National Highway-55 project to link OMP Square in Cuttack with Nuagaon of Erasama tehsil in the district as development of the road is yet to start.
In 2015, the Ministry of Highways and Road Transport had declared that Cuttack-Jagatsinghpur-Balikuda-Nuagaon State Highway will be upgraded into an NH.
However, the road is yet to be developed so far. The only visible work on the project has been installation of signages mentioning “NH-55” at different locations.
Sources said repair and maintenance works are not being carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) due to tardy release of funds.
The condition of the road stretch from Cuttack to Nuagaon is strewn with potholes and not in a motorable condition as per NHAI norms.
Traffic congestion, a regular affair on the narrow road, is leading to frequent accidents.
Local Congress leader Debendra Mallick said though the Central Government declared in 2015 that the state highway will be upgraded into NH-55, no progress has been made in this regard in the last four years bringing strong resentment among locals.
Negligence of NHAI officials and fund crunch are the main causes for the delay in upgradation of the road, he said.
While the NHAI has to approve the road alignment, identification of land for the NH plan is yet to start. This has delayed the land acquisition process.
Of the 94.139 km long NH, 15.339 km comes under Cuttack district and the rest 78.800 km in Jagatsinghpur district.
A total of nine bridges and six by-passes will be constructed on NH-55.
Similarly, 113.359 acre Government and 843.790 acre private land are required for the NH.
Admitting the delay, NHAI Executive Engineer Abhaya Kumar Mohanty said approval of the road alignment is pending with the NHAI regional office.
After its approval, land acquisition process will start, he claimed.