BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan has urged his cabinet colleague and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to take steps for the upgradation of existing national highways connecting Chhattisgarh and Odisha to an eight-lane economic corridor in view of growing industrial traffic.
In a letter, Pradhan requested Gadkari to develop the 300-km stretch from Raigarh in Chhattisgarh to Talcher in Odisha as an eight-lane national highway covering Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Sambalpur sections. The stretch, now known as Jharsuguda-Tileibani NH-49 and Deogarh-Reamal-Godibandha-Ballahar (Talcher) NH-53, has the presence of three major industrial areas - Ib valley area (thermal power, sponge iron, refractories, and coal mines), Hirakud area (aluminium and rolling mills) and Talcher-Angul area (thermal power, aluminium, coal washeries, ferroalloys, coal mines).
The Raigarh-Belpahar-Jharsuguda stretch on NH-49 is the most vital link between Chhattisgarh and west Odisha as the road also connects Jharsuguda to the steel city of Rourkela. It is also an important link between the Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela stretch of State Highway 10. The two highways have been expanded and upgraded in the last eight years and at present, different packages of various developmental works are in progress to expand NH-49 as a four-lane highway and NH-53 as well.
“Rapid industrialisation in recent times and growing economic activity in these areas have made it not only the industrial backbone of the state but also of the nation. If upgraded to an eight-lane economic corridor, the stretch will help in ensuring the socio-economic growth of the region,” Dharmendra stated in his letter.“The corridor will go a long way in ensuring improved infrastructure for the present and upcoming industries in these areas as well as boosting the economy of the state and the nation as a whole,” he added.