Indian Road Congress 2025 Begins in Odisha With 3,500 Participants

By Suman Rodrigues

Bhubaneswar: The 84th annual session of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) began in Bhubaneswar on Thursday, bringing together more than 3,500 delegates, including engineers, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and industry experts from across the country. The four-day conference, being held at Janata Maidan, focuses on advancements in highway technology, innovation, and sustainable infrastructure.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari formally inaugurated the conference on Friday in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Ministers Ajay Tamta and Harsh Malhotra, Madhya Pradesh PWD Minister Rakesh Singh, and other dignitaries. Odisha’s Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had earlier inaugurated the technical exhibition that marks the start of the event.

Addressing the media, Harichandan said the IRC provides an important platform for sharing ideas and innovations in road engineering. He added that the Odisha government plans to construct 75,000 km of roads over the next five years and that the discussions at the conference will help enhance the state’s road infrastructure planning and execution.

This is the sixth time Odisha is hosting the IRC, the last session having been held in 2015. The theme for this year’s conference is “Major Advances in Highway Technology and Policy.” The event includes 19 thematic sessions covering areas such as sustainable road construction, cost optimisation, advanced tunnelling techniques, and eco-friendly infrastructure development.

Key meetings scheduled during the four days include the IRC Council, the Indian Roads Research Board, and multiple sessions involving state and central officials, international organisations, and multilateral agencies.

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One of the main attractions is the open-to-sky exhibition, featuring 20 stalls displaying live demonstrations of new technologies like mechanised mastic asphalt, fly ash utilisation, porous concrete, and nano-modified bitumen.

Organisers have also highlighted Odisha’s rich cultural heritage by including traditional local cuisine in the menu, featuring popular dishes such as Dahi Bara Aloo Dum, Rasabali, Chhenapoda, and Pakhala Kansa.

The focus of this year’s congress, officials said, is to promote sustainable, resilient, and eco-friendly road infrastructure to meet the challenges posed by urbanisation, rapid technological change, and climate adaptation.

Among those present at the inaugural ceremony were Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, IRC President Manoranjan Parida, Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, and World Road Association Vice-President Dharmananda Sarangi.

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