Bhubaneswar, Nov 11: Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has written to Road Transport and Railways Minister Nitin Gadkari, requesting him to take steps to upgrade the existing National Highways Economic Corridor into eight lanes covering Raigarh in Chhattisgarh to Talcher in Angul district via Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Sambalpur in Odisha.

In the letter, Union Minister Pradhan mentioned that the 300 km stretch of Raighar in Chhattisgarh and Ballhar at Talcher has the presence of three major industrial areas, namely Ib valley area (Thermal power, sponge iron, refractories and coalmines), Hirakud area (Aluminum & rolling mills) and Talcher-Angul area (Thermal power, aluminium, coal washeries, ferro alloys, coal mines). Road industrialisation in recent times and growing economic activity in these areas have made it not oly the industrial backbone of the State but for the nation, Pradhan noted.

Presently, this stretch is served by NH-49 (Jharsuguda-Tileibani) and NH-53 (Deogarh-Reamal-Godibandha-Ballahar). It has been developed and expanded during the last eight years. Now, various development works in progress to expand H-49 into a 4-lane highway and NH-53 too. The volume of traffic, freight and industrial trnasport through this stretch is only set to grow exponentially in coming years, wrote Pradhan.

"In view of the potential of the above stretch covering the Ib Valley, Hirakud Area and Angul-Talcher Region, I take this opportunity to request you to consider upgrading this stretch to an economic corridor of 8 lanes which will go a long way in ensuring amproved infrastructure for the present and upcoming industries in these areas as well as boostig the economy of the State and the nation as a whole," urged Pradhan.

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