Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced plans to develop an outer ring road for Cuttack as part of a broader push to fast-track road and infrastructure projects across the state, aiming to improve connectivity and ensure balanced regional development.
Chairing a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan on Monday, Law, Works and Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan directed the Works Department to expedite all ongoing and proposed road projects to align with the state’s vision of achieving a Vikasit Odisha by 2036.
Stressing that development cannot remain confined to major urban centres, the minister said strong road connectivity between cities and regions was crucial for inclusive growth. “Balanced development is possible only when every part of the state is well connected,” he said.
Highlighting Cuttack’s growing traffic burden, Harichandan proposed an outer ring road for the city on the lines of Bhubaneswar’s expansion model. He also underlined the need to upgrade the Cuttack–Sambalpur National Highway-55 to six lanes to strengthen connectivity between Western and Eastern Odisha.
As part of the infrastructure push, several state highways linking different regions will be widened to four lanes. The minister instructed officials to begin survey work immediately and submit detailed project reports to the government without delay.
A range of key urban and regional road projects were reviewed during the meeting, including the Jayadev Vihar–Nandankanan Road, Left Parallel Road, Patharagadia–Daruthenga Road, the proposed Kelucharan–Phulnakhara Road, Palasuni–Garage Chhak stretch, Acharya Vihar–Kalinga Hospital Road, Kaimatia Chhak–Gothapatna Road, Gohira–Chatabar–Madanpur Road and the AIIMS Road.
Officials also took stock of major national highway projects such as the widening of the Konark–Puri–Satapada Road, a new alignment of the Pipili–Konark Road, construction of the Cuttack–Kandarpur and Kandarpur–Balikuda roads, and the Jeypore and Balangir bypasses.
Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, OBCC Managing Director Anupam Saha, EIC-cum-Special Secretary Er. Laxmi Kanta Padhi, EIC (Civil) Eng. Satyabrata Behera, EIC (Road) Er. Dhyan Chand Nayak, officials from the National Highways Authority and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, along with senior engineers, attended the meeting.
Calling for the use of modern technology and software in planning and execution, Harichandan said infrastructure development must keep pace with people’s aspirations. “Every project should reflect efficiency, speed and quality,” he added.
