ROURKELA: The demand for an outer ring road encircling conceived Greater Rourkela is gaining ground with RN Pali MP Durga Charan Tanti sending a letter in this regard to Union Minister for Highways and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari on Saturday.
Tanti urged Gadkari to conduct a survey for the project to expedite development of Greater Rourkela Metropolitan Area with the Rourkela Smart City at the centre. He also sought adequate growth of expressways in Sundargarh district.
Sachetan Nagarik Manch (SNM) president Bimal Kumar Bisi in a memorandum to Gadkari suggested the outer ring road around Rourkela may connect Kalunga, Kansbahal, Rajgangpur, Birmitrapur, Nuagaon, Jareikela, Chandiposh, Lathikata and other areas. The memorandum said formation of Greater Rourkela is equally important for the industrial corridor plan and the outer ring road would serve as a vital link.
As efforts are underway to widen and strengthen the newly-declared NH-320D, the memorandum further mooted realignment of the NH for a stretch of around 20 km from Bondamunda via Sonaparvat ending at Cutting Chowk of NH-143 to avoid the congestion in Rourkela city.
Claiming NH-320D between Rourkela and Chakradharpur in Jharkhand may further be extended to Tatanagar covering NH-43 and NH- 20 the memorandum suggested upgradation of the highway into a Triangular Expressway connecting Rourkela-Tatanagar, Tatanagar-Ranchi and Ranchi-Rourkela in future.
With Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw proposing a vital steel corridor through the adjacent mineral-rich districts of Sundargarh and Keonjhar connecting the Talcher-Bimlagarh, Kiriburu-Barbil and Barsuan- Banspani railway networks, the memorandum further suggested setting up of a Tatanagar-Rourkela-Sundargarh-Raigarh-Bilaspur expressway for greater economic growth.
Bisi claimed there is an urgent need for the growth of expressway infrastructure in Sundargarh.