ROURKELA: After being put on the backburner for several years, the proposal for an outer ring road around Rourkela city may soon be a reality with the Works department planning to execute it in next three years.
Officials of the Roads and Buildings division under the Works department said the outer ring road proposal has been planned for execution during next three financial years. Three alternative alignments have been prepared in this regard. After consultation with the Sundargarh district administration, the suitable alignment would be submitted to the higher authorities for approval.
Sources said the R&B division through SM Consultants Pvt Ltd worked out three alignments in May this year for preparation of the detailed project report (DPR). All three alignments envisage formation of a ring of road around Rourkela city covering peri-urban pockets of Lathikata, Rajgangpur, Kuanrmunda, Nuagaon and Bisra blocks. The length of the alignments would be between 117 km and 170 km.
The alignment 1 envisages total length of 155 km from Lathikata, Rajgangpur, Raiboga, Birmitrapur and Nuagaon through Bisra block. Alignment 2 is the shortest with a length of 117 km from Lathikata through Kansbahal of Rajgangpur, Kuanrmunda, Birmitrapur, Hathibari, Nuagaon and Bisra block.
Similarly, the third alignment envisages a more wider ring road with 170.500 km length from Lathikata through the far end of Rajgangpur block. It would touch Kutra block and cover Raiboga to the Jharkhand border near Birmitrapur. The proposed alignment would pass through Hathibari, Nuagaon and the far end of Bisra block before meeting the starting point.
Superintending engineer of R&B division Jasaswini Mishra said after finalisation of the route alignment and approval of the government, steps would be taken for preparation of the DPR.
According to official sources, the proposed outer ring road would be four-lane and may cost between `500 and `700 crore.
Rourkela MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak said the proposed ring road is part of the comprehensive development plan of the Rourkela Development Authority. It would help decongest traffic, boost metropolitan expansion, set up effective urban and rural communication link besides leading to industrial growth.
Incidentally, the comprehensive development plan envisages formation of Greater Rourkela and the proposed ring road is a vital infrastructure component of it.
