WB sponsored road project in Orissa to start by April

Bhubaneswar, Jan 3 (UNI) The work for the first phase of the World Bank sponsored Rs 2,121 crore Orissa State Road Project(OSRP) will start by April.

A high level review meeting chaired by Public Work Department Minister A U Singhdeo here today reviewed the 204 km road to be taken up in the year one package in the first phase.

The bidding process for the first phase would be completed by January end and the construction will start by April.

The roads included in the year one package in the first phase were 68 km long Bhawanipatna-Khariar road, 95 km long Chandbali- Bhadrak-Anandpur road and the 41 km Berhampur-Taptapani road.

Out of the total Rs 2,121 crore, World Bank will provide Rs 1,406 crore and the rest will be shared by the Union and the state government.

Official sources said the Detail Project Report (DPR) for the construction of 257 km of road in the year two package in the second phase was near about completion. The bidding for the work which included Taptapani-Raipankia, Raipankia-J K pur and Jagatpur-Chandbali road would start in April.

In addition to it the Price Water Consultancy was preparing feasibility report for the 268 km long Sambalpur-Rourkela, Joda- Bamberi, Koira-Tensa-Rajamunda road and the Dhamra port-Digochia road on Private Public Partnership mode.

Sources said the government was considering to add 500 km more road on PPP mode.

The construction of all roads would be completed in three years after the work started.

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