Bhubaneswar, Jun 19: Multiple strategic National Highway projects across Odisha have hit roadblocks due to delays in land acquisition, compensation disbursement, forest clearances, utility shifting and land mutation, prompting the state government to intervene and direct district administrations to expedite pending work.

In a letter issued by Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, district collectors of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khordha, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Sambalpur, Jajpur, Nabarangpur and Balasore, along with Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), OPTCL and other agencies, have been asked to resolve long-pending issues at the earliest.

NHAI Flags Delays in Critical Projects
The state government's intervention comes after National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav wrote to Chief Secretary Anu Garg, expressing concern over delays affecting several major highway projects.

The projects include the Rameswaram-Konark Coastal Highway, Konark-Paradip Coastal Highway, Chilika Missing Link, Capital Region Ring Road, Sambalpur Bypass and the Cuttack-Kandarpur Corridor, all considered crucial for improving connectivity and driving economic growth in Odisha.

Capital Region Ring Road Faces Major Land Hurdles
According to NHAI, only 55 per cent of the required land for the Capital Region Ring Road project has been made available so far.

In addition, compensation worth nearly Rs 209 crore remains pending in Khordha, Cuttack and Dhenkanal districts, slowing progress on the project.

Coastal Highway Projects Yet to Gain Momentum
The Rameswaram-Konark Coastal Highway requires around 416 hectares of land, but acquisition of 365 hectares is still pending. Forest clearance for the project has also not been completed.

Similarly, the Konark-Paradip Coastal Highway requires 369 hectares of land. However, no land acquisition has been completed so far. Tree enumeration and identification of non-forest land are still pending in several stretches.

Also Read: Odisha Vigilance Raids Seven Locations Of Koraput Asst Executive Engineer In DA Case

Compensation, Mutation Delays Affect Other Corridors
For the Sambalpur Bypass project, 157 hectares of land have been made available against the required 195.8 hectares, covering about 79 per cent of the total requirement.

The Banarpal-Godibandha (NH-149) project requires 70.35 hectares of land, with nearly 80 per cent already available. However, pending compensation payments and house eviction processes continue to hamper construction.

Projects such as Chandikhol-Paradip and the Bhadrak-Balasore stretch of NH-16 are also facing delays due to pending compensation disbursal, 3G awards, land mutation and relocation of power transmission towers.

Thousands of Hectares Await Mutation
Official data show that out of 11,007 hectares of acquired land across Odisha, mutation has been completed for only 7,458 hectares. Mutation of the remaining 3,549 hectares is still pending, necessitating intervention by the Revenue Department.

Government Seeks Time-Bound Resolution
The Works Department has instructed all concerned authorities to ensure speedy resolution of outstanding issues and extend full cooperation to NHAI so that the highway projects can be completed within their scheduled timelines.