Bhubaneswar: Land acquisition for ambitious coastal road projects will begin when the National Highway Authority (NHAI) has initiated the formalities needed by the state government for this exercise.
The official source in Nhai said he had written to collectors of Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada to form competent authorities for land acquisition (Cala) for the main infrastructure project.
“In the first phase, land acquisition for stretching Tangi-Ratanpur will begin following the formation of Cala by the district collector concerned in the end,” RAM Prasad Panda, head of General Manager, Nhai, Bhubaneswar, told TII.
Although the coastal highway Rs 7,500 Crore was originally proposed to connect Gopalpur in Ganjam to Digha in West Bengal, alignment (the proposed path) has now been changed given the environmental problems.
The project, proposed under Bharatmala Pariyajana from the Government, will now start from NH-16 near Tangi in Khurda Regency and developed in two stretches – Tangi-Ratanpur and Ratanpur-Digha.
While the total project length was announced by the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in April 2015, at first 451km, now it has been reduced by around 72 km.
Reference provisions (TOR) of the proposed stretch have received approval from various competent authorities, the official source said.
NHAI has planned to float tenders for project implementation after the land acquisition process begins in March next year, said an NHAI official.
Stretch length Tangi-Ratanpur proposed, which will pass through Puri, Konark, Astarang, Naugon and Paradip Port and end up at Ratanpur, about 177 km away.
The project will also provide connectivity to nearly 100 villages in Puri Regency, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada.
About 797 hectares of land, including 542 hectares of private areas, will be obtained for stretching Tangi-Ratanpur.
The source said when the project would pass 11 rivers, NHAI had planned to build 20 main bridges and 69 small as part of the plan.
Drive Marine Puri-Konark will also be part of the project.
Initially, environmental lovers have objected to the project when passing Sanctuary Balukhanda and several sites nested by Olive Ridley.
But now, alignment has been changed.
The official source at NHAI said the TOR for the stretch of Ratanpur-Digha from the coastal highway project was also expected soon.