TNI Bureau: The entire state of Odisha yesterday celebrated the birth anniversary of the great son of the soil, former Chief Minister late Biju Patnaik.
On this occasion of the birth anniversary of the legendary leader of Odisha, the dream project of Naveen Patnaik was implemented under the 5T initiatives as he inaugurated the Biju Expressway from Sohela to Ampani during his visit to Bargarh, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.
Patnaik dedicated more than 500 kilometer four lane Biju Expressway from Rourkela in Sundargarh district to Ampani in Kalahandi district
The four lane international standard Biju Expressway has become a reality now and has already started contributing to the growth of the western Odisha.
The Biju Expressway links North and South Odisha through western Odisha. This four lane super highway will connect many interior pockets of Bargarh, Bolangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Nabarangpur districts leading to the industrial and agricultural transformation of western Odisha. It will also have an impact on promoting access to best of the health and education for the common man.
The biggest road infrastructure project of Odisha – the Biju Expressway will also connect many border towns of South and Western Odisha like Chandli, Boriguma, Nabarangpur, Papadahandi, Ambapani, Dharmagarh, Sinapali, Bhella, Nuapada, Paikmal, Padmapur, Sohella, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundergarh, and Rourkela.
As the Expressway of a total length of 656 Kilometres would pass through one of the most backward regions of the state, KBK region, it would boost the economy.
Besides boosting agriculture, trade and commerce, and social sector development, Biju Expressway would support the state’s initiatives in mainstreaming socially and economically backward people. The Biju Express will fill the communication gap and synchronize the agricultural and industrial growth by providing Inter State connectivity for these areas.
While the Expressway will reduce travel time of cost for the people of Odisha, the trickle down impact will be on the peripheral development. Already, the government of Odisha has taken steps to develop the areas surrounding the Expressway as Economic Corridors. As part of this, Industrial Estates will be set up along the Economic Corridor.
While many industries have shown their interest to set up their facilities along the highway, the focus will be on Industrial estates along Khariar Junagarh and Padampur for example.
With the first phase of the Biju Expressway being completed, next comes the second phase that will connect Berhampur with Jeypore.
The second phase four-lane connectivity will be provided from Berhampur in Ganjam district to Jeypore in Koraput district for about 335 km with a cost of about Rs.6100 crore, mostly in greenfield under Biju Expressway-II.
The Biju Expressway-II project will reduce the travel time between the two cities from 10 hours to 5 hours and provide huge potential for economic growth and employment opportunities.
The transport sector is the harbinger of growth, prosperity and empowerment of the people of the State.
Road infrastructure development is a major thrust area for the government. It has been the endeavor of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure that quality connectivity is available to
Naveen Patnaik has been focusing on the equitable development of all regions of Odisha. His continuous visits to various districts of Western Odisha regularly and review the development of the various infrastructure projects is a testimony to his commitment to the people of the region. He has also left no stone unturned to develop the southern regions including that of Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.
The second phase of the Biju Expressway will open up a new world of opportunities for development of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal and Koraput.
People will have seamless travel experience on the world-class roads and the peripheral areas will also see accelerated industrial growth. Above all, the Biju Expressway will fill the gap left void because of the poor railway network in the state.