Bhubaneswar: The state Cabinet decided Wednesday to expand the Biju Expressway by constructing roads and bridges in Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.
Briefing about the Cabinet decisions, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said, “The Cabinet took 11 major decisions today out of which four are related to construction and widening of the ‘Biju Expressway’ for enhanced connectivity in western Odisha. This will not only provide enhanced connectivity in western Odisha but will also provide impetus to the industrial growth and overall economic development in the region.”
The Cabinet has approved a tender worth Rs 448.02 crore for construction of the road of 174.5 km length, passing through the two districts, Mahapatra informed.
The total length of the expressway (Ghatipada-Sinapali) in Nuapada district will be 104.65km including six minor and six major bridges. In Kalahandi district ((Sinapali-Dharmagarh-Ampani) a 69.85-km stretch will be constructed. It will include construction of 11 minor bridges and two major bridges.
As per plan, the four-lane express highway will connect Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput districts. The Sambalpur and Rourkela portion has already been inaugurated.
Similarly, the Cabinet has approved tender for construction of box shape drain in Cuttack city under JICA assisted Odisha Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project (OISIP).
Frequent flooding and inundation in the city during monsoons were the perennial problems faced by Cuttack people. This problem needs to addressed once and for all, said Mahapatra.
A drain will be constructed between Patapola to Matrubhawan in Cuttack at a cost of Rs 450.44 crore. Construction will start from July and is expected to be complete by December 2022.
The Cabinet has also decided to create 220 new Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) posts in order to augment the existing promotional facilities in the mid and senior-level posts. With the addition of the new posts, the total strength of OAS has increased to 2,123 posts.
The panel has also accorded its nod for the amendment of Odisha Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959 to execute one of its earlier decisions. Now, all government employees will have to submit their annual property returns to the government and the same will be placed in the public domain for information of the general public.