JAJPUR: The construction of an underpass and an approach road near the Benapur bypass on the Panikoili-Rimuli stretch of NH-20 in the district by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began on Tuesday with the foundation stone being laid by Jajpur MP Sarmistha Sethy.
NHAI sources said the estimated cost of construction of the underpass along with the approach road is Rs 15.33 crore. “Construction of the underpass along with approach roads on both sides will be started within a week. The project will be completed in a year,” said an NHAI official.
Earlier, residents of villages near the highway had met Sethy and requested her to visit the spot to see how people living along the NH are facing inconveniences due to the absence of an underpass near Benapur.
The MP had raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and even met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari and requested him to approve an underpass at the earliest for the convenience of residents of the area. Korei MLA Ashok Bal and NHAI officials were present during the foundation-laying ceremony.