Ring road project takes off in Berhampur after seven years

BERHAMPUR:  After hanging fire for seven years, the proposed ring road in Berhampur is all set to take off, with the first phase ground-breaking ceremony held in presence of Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange here on Tuesday.

The 45-km ring road was proposed by the district administration to the State government in 2013, to ease traffic congestion in Berhampur. The government gave nod the following year and accorded permission for land acquisition but work did not commence allegedly due to administrative apathy. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 330 crore. 

In the first phase, 5.19 km of the ring road will be completed at a cost of Rs 20.71 crore and cover Mohuda, Kumarpur, Kusumi, Govindapur, Monohara and Madanmohanpur villages under Kukudakhandi tehsil via NH-16. The stretch will also include a one-km railway flyover bridge. 

Official sources said, tender for the first-phase construction has been finalised. The project, which is expected to boost development in Berhampur, Chhatrapur and Gopalpur, will include 13.7 km Raghunathpur-Ratanapur bypass road planned by the National Highways Authority of India, 15.4 km stretch of Dakhinapur-Lathi-Haladiapadar and 17-km stretch connecting Mandiapalli-Karapalli and Phulta to be taken up by the Works department.

For the ring road, acquisition of 169.19 acre land in 13 villages has been approved and purchase process is about to start.  Executive engineer, Ganjam (R&B)-I, Bankim Chandra Panda, who was present at the ceremony, said a sum of `29 crore has been approved for the first phase and work will begin soon.