Bhubaneswar: The state government will soon come up with the Odisha State Road Policy (OSRP) under which a target has been set to construct 75,000 km of world-class roads in the next five years to improve commuter experience and ensure their safety. For this purpose, a preparatory meeting was held recently at the Conference Hall of the Lok Seva Bhavan under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg where a presentation of the various aspects of OSRP-2024 was made by the Works department.
Discussions were held over a range of issues including reinforcing the state’s road infrastructure and its enhancement from a traffic point of view, an SOP for inter-departmental transfer of particular roads from one agency to another for traffic regulations, creation of funds for maintenance of roads and ensuring road safety. As per the plans, of the 75,000 km proposed roads, a maximum of 30,000 km will be assigned to the Rural Development Department, 22,800 km to Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department and 15,000 km to Works Department.
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Besides, the Water Resources Department will be given the task of constructing 5,000 km of roads, while the Housing and Urban Development Department will construct 1,200 km of roads. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will build another 1,000 km of roads. According to the ambitious plan, old roads and the bridges connecting those will be developed, while the primary focus would be laid on road safety by identifying the ‘blackspots’.
Moreover, the Transport department will be constructing truck terminals with provisions of allied amenities. For smooth execution of the plan, line departments such as Works, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Development, NHAI and Water Resources, among others, have been assigned their specific mandate. Sources said according to yet-to-be-released policy, the state highways will be of at least four lanes, while major and minor district roads will be of two lanes.
Moreover, two-lane service roads will be constructed alongside six-lane roads in mining and industrial areas with additional Utility Corridors for underground drainage and telephone lines. At the meeting, discussions were also held on preparing blueprints for the construction of roads in district and block headquarters, important tourist places, mining and industrial areas, and municipal as well as railway stations. It was also decided to form a committee to supervise the formulation and implementation of the new policy.