KEONJHAR/BARBIL: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday laid the foundation stone for the long-awaited Barbil bypass ring road project at Kalinga Nagar in Keonjhar’s Barbil on Monday.
To be built at a cost of Rs 1,581.21 crore, this four-lane 18.326 km-long road will have nine bridges, bus stops, passengers rest rooms along with other ultramodern facilities. A total of 251.724 acre of land will be used for the ring road project which is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion in the mining town of Barbil.
The chief minister also laid foundation stones for 51 projects worth Rs 326.43 crore and inaugurated 24 projects at a cost of Rs 29.41 crore. A few days ago, the Cabinet approved a grid substation for Keonjhar. Majhi said this project will be completed in three years at a cost of Rs 1,647 crore. He said an electricity substation would be constructed for Joda, Basudevpur and Barbil areas at a cost of Rs 298 crore.
Other important projects that were launched on the day included the 10-km-long Bamweri-Palasa-Gurda-Koida road worth Rs 95 crore and 7.5-km long Suakati-Dubuna-Kalimati road valued at Rs 30 crore. The KIDCO road from Palashpanga to Bamweri will also be improved at a cost of Rs 30 crore.
“The process for a mega steel plant is underway in Keonjhar. All the preparations are progressing at a rapid pace. The foundation stone for the project will be laid very soon,” Majhi said and directed the district administration to expedite the construction of the eight-lane Barbil-Paradip road.
The chief minister also announced that the state government will provide all necessary administrative support to any industry that invests more than Rs 10,000 crore in Keonjhar and employs more than 10,000 youths.
At the event, Majhi distributed financial assistance to the beneficiaries of Madhubabu Pension scheme. He also allotted land plots to beneficiaries of Barbil.
Among others, Champua MLA Sanatan Mahakud, Patna MLA Akhil Chandra Naik, and Keonjhar collector Vishal Singh were present.