ROURKELA: The Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation Ltd (OBCC) has floated a fresh tender for completion of the road overbridge (ROB) at level crossing-215 on the busy Howrah-Mumbai mainline of South Eastern Railway (SER) at Kalunga near Rourkela.
The cost of the project, to be executed on a turnkey basis, has been revised from `89 crore to around `110 crore, including expenses towards land acquisition and shifting of electrical utilities. The project is being implemented on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis by the Odisha government and SER.
Sources said the ROB was sanctioned in 2016-17, but OBCC bagged the contract only in early 2024. However, a few months later in June 2024, the contractor abruptly withdrew from the project, citing inability to execute the work. The state government’s portion of the project has remained stalled since then.
Sources said the office of the chief engineer-III of OBCC floated a fresh tender on September 9 for completion of the state’s portion of the ROB. The sale of bid documents began on September 17, while the last date for submission of bids was October 8.
OBCC officials expressed hope that the work order would be issued within next couple of months, paving way for physical construction to begin in January 2027. The project is expected to be completed within 24 months.
Sources said following the suspension of work, OBCC focused on completing acquisition of private land to avoid hurdles during project implementation. Of the 92 decimal of private land required for the project, 87 decimal have been acquired so far.
Government land along the proposed alignment was cleared of encroachments on March 9, 2024. However, fresh encroachments have reportedly surfaced during the prolonged delay in project execution.
The ROB alignment also has 33 kV overhead power lines at one location and 11 kV lines at three locations, besides 30 low-tension electricity poles that need to be shifted.
Sources said the Sundargarh administration held a meeting with TPWODL to expedite shifting of electrical utilities.
The proposed two-lane ROB will have a carriageway width of 25 feet and a total length of around 850 metre including a 77-metre stretch falling under SER’s jurisdiction.