Angul: There has been an inordinate delay in completing the expansion of NH-55, passing through central Odisha to the western Odisha. With its expansion moving at a snail’s pace, mishaps have been routinely occurring on this route, claiming lives. Land acquisition has posed a hurdle in completion of the project, a report said.
According to the report, the NHAI has awarded the expansion work to Gayatri Constructions. The deadline for the project has expired. It was alleged that the NHAI has failed to emphasize the completion of the expansion project. This has caused a lot of resentment in the areas where the NH-53 passes through.
The expansion of the Cuttack-Sambalpur NH-55 has been planned in two phases. Gayatri Construction has got its expansion in two phases at a cost of Rs 583 crore. The stretch of the MH53 from Angul to Sambalpur was started in 2016. As per the agreement with the construction agency, the work should have been completed within 1,000 days from its starting. This portion of the project entailed construction of four bridges, three under passes, 10 service roads, two truck parking lots and 38 big intersections and 65 small intersections.
Later, other ancillary works were annexed with the expansion work. Timeline has ended, but the work is nowhere near completion, locals alleged. “The expansion work is not ending due to apathy of the district administration. It was appraised of the issue several times, but it has confined its duty to only warning the NHAI and the constriction agency,” lamented Rashmiranjan Sahu, a resident of Angul.
The delay in expansion of the roads is likely to lead to cost overruns. “Crores of rupees are being spent for its expansion. If the project does not end in time, additional expenditure has to be made. This is unnecessary cost escalation,” said Srikant Mishra, another resident.
It was alleged that as expansion work moves at a tardy pace, the condition of the old road is in bad shape, leading to accidents most of the time.
The district has recorded 469 accidents and 215 casualties in 2018. In 2019 and 2020 till date, over 400 accidents have been recorded while over 90 people have died in the district. However, most of the accidents and casualties have occurred on the NH-53.
People have staged agitations in the past over slow pace of expansion. The district administration has filed cases against NHAI. Angul sub-collector had filed a case against the NHAI in 2018. Another case was filed against it September 12, 2019.
At a public hearing, Jana Sangathan, a local outfit had moved a case against the project director of NHAI, Dhenkanal.
In the recent past, activists of a political party had staged a dharna over slow pace of HN-53 expansion.
Bibhab Samantsinghar, the RTOof Angul, said, “As the work has been split into two phases, it has created problems. The NHAI has assured to complete the stretch from Sambalpur to Rantlei by March 2021. The PD of the NHAI has assured that bypass construction will be completed by December, 2021.”
Angul sub-collector Basudev Satpathy said the NHAI and the construction agency have been told to carry forward the NH work expeditiously so that people do not face commuting woes.
Explaining the reason for the delay in expansion, DGM of Gayatri Constructions, G Padmanabhan said, “The administration has failed to hand over land at different times. This has hampered work. From Angul to Bamur, land problem has been at 48 places. The district administration is not finding ways to resolve the issues. However, 90 per cent of the work in Dhenkanal is over.”
PNN