Finance Ministry approved Rs 8,300 cr for coastal highway project in Odisha: Minister

New Delhi: Odisha's Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Wednesday said the Union Finance Ministry has approved Rs 8,300 crore for the Rameshwar-Paradip coastal highway in the state.

Speaking to reporters, he said around 60 to 70 per cent of the land acquisition for the project is complete.

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"The Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Finance has approved the alignment of the route from Rameshwar to Paradip and also approved Rs 8,300 crore for the purpose. The approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is pending. After it gives the approval, the NHAI will float a tender for the construction," he said.

It will be a four-lane road between Rameshwar and Konark, and a two-lane road from Konark to Paradip, he added.

Harichandan said the 346-km highway will eventually connect Digha in West Bengal to Rameshwar in Odisha's Khorda district, with 160 km of it up to Paradip approved in the first phase.

He said the project has been delayed for years as the alignment was changed multiple times during the previous BJD government.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the highway was supposed to be of four lanes, but it has been reduced to two lanes in certain sections, which shows the present government's developmental priorities.

"Downgrading the scope may result in greater environmental, social, and economic costs later," he said.

"The BJD will not rest until the coastal highway is delivered in its full capacity. The party will continue to fight for timely, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure," he added.

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