post news network
Bhubaneswar, August 25: After drawing flak from various quarters over the poor road network in the state, the government has prepared a plan to ensure better connectivity.
Government statistics reveal that approximately 14,000 habitations comprising 28 per cent of the state’s total habitations do not have all weather road connectivity.
At present the road network comprises 4844 kms of National Highways (NHs), 4128 kms of State Highways (SHs), 2598 kms of major district roads (MDRs) and 13,769 kms of other district roads (ODRs).
Most of these are in a very bad state with 73 per cent of ODRs, 51 per cent MDRs and 47 per cent SHs just single lane. Meanwhile, the works department, in its ‘Vision 2036’ has stated that around 1,782Km of NHs and 6,977km of other state roads are heavily congested resulting in higher cost to the economy.
The poor road network has also resulted in increasing road accidents leading to at least 10 deaths every day.
Works department sources say the challenges are basically – inadequate fund provision, difficulties in acquisition of land for widening of roads and scarcity of quality executants and supervision consultants.
Officials also claim that the government has prepared a roadmap to ensure better road connectivity. They say the government will create double-lane road network between all block headquarters and ensure single lane all weather connectivity to all gram panchayats in the next 15 years.
Widening of 5000 km stretch to double lane will be completed between 2017-18 and 2023-24 out of which the work on 2000 km will be done in the first three years.
The government will also improve 1000 km stretch single lane/intermediate lane/double lane in the next three years along with constructing 90 new bridges, 5 ROB and flyovers and 50 amenity centres.
By 2023-24, 200 new bridges, 14 ROB and flyovers and 100 amenity centres along with bypasses around five congested towns of the state are also planned.
