Chop-and-change is perhaps the best way to describe the National Highway Authority of India’s approach in Odisha. Its latest casualty is the coastal highway project under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojna. After years of delay, the key economic corridor has again suffered a setback with the agency cancelling its tender last week. In January, the NHAI invited bids for a 346-km, four-lane stretch to be executed in four phases at an estimated cost of `7,040 crore. Four months later, it has decided to revisit the plan. Unviable traffic volume seems to have become the trigger for the change of mind after all these years—the NHAI is now considering a two-lane, access-controlled carriageway.
The 451-km coastal highway was approved in 2018 and sent for the Odisha government’s approval. The state suggested that Chilika lagoon be kept out of the alignment. The next year, more protected areas along the route were excluded and the length was revised to 377 km. Local resistance and other challenges prompted further changes and, finally, a 346-km project was finalised, requiring yet another detailed project report. So the state is assured of more delays and higher costs as statutory clearances will have to be secured.
The NHAI has been at the centre of controversy for dragging its feet on some major projects in the state. The much-awaited four-lane expansion of NH-55, that connects Cuttack to Sambalpur via Angul, is of critical importance for economic development of the region, but has taken years with half a dozen deadlines breached. The 263-km highway suffered delays for several reasons—from the lead contractor going bankrupt to not planning animal underpasses along crucial wildlife habitats. A review last year showed that out of the authority’s 20 ongoing projects, at least 13 were bogged down by delays ranging between one and more than three years. Of the 776 km of projects, at least 364 km have been delayed for more than three years. The NHAI has been scrutinised for its lackadaisical approach and poor quality of work. Meanwhile, Odisha has been a major loser because of the delays in delivering high-impact economic corridors. It’s time for the Odisha government to escalate the matter with the Union road transport and highways ministry and the NHAI is held accountable for bleeding the state.