By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 14, 2024: The ministry of road transport and highways on Tuesday approved four new highway projects in Odisha at an estimated cost of about Rs 15,000 crore, according to an official statement by the Odisha government.

The matter was discussed during the New National Highway Review meeting chaired by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and attended by chief minister Mohan Majhi in New Delhi on Tuesday. Majhi, during the meeting, assured availability of land and construction materials promptly for the new projects. Majhi also requested Gadkari to study the feasibility of several proposals for development of national highway in the state.

The projects approved are Bhubaneswar-Puri six-lane highway, the stretch between Chandikhole and Barbil, Khurda-Nayagarh four-lane on NH-57 and Kesinga-Junagarh four-lane on NH-26.

The Bhubaneswar-Puri highway with service roads covering a length of 60 km will be executed at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore, while Rs 10,000 crore will be spent on the 200 km stretch between Chandikhole and Barbil. Khurda-Nayagarh four-lane covering 54 km will cost around Rs 1,100 crore and 46 km Kesinga-Junagarh stretch will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

Besides, Koraput-Podomari NH-326 covering a length of 246 km has been approved for two-laning at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore, while Rs 250 crore has been allocated for the Setu Bandhan Yojana for Odisha.