Dharmendra urges Gadkari to expedite expansion work of NH-55

Bhubaneswar: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested Union Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari to expedite the expansion work of National Highway-55 (earlier called NH-44) in Odisha.

NH-55 is divided into two sections namely Cuttack- Angul Section and Sambalpur Angul Section.

In a letter, Pradhan informed that he has received a petition from the villagers of Boinda in Angul regarding inordinate delay in expansion and improvement to NH-42 (55).

In their petition, they have stated that the foundation of NH-42 (55) has laid on December 2018 and it was decided to complete the work by September 2020.

Further they have stated that the expansion work has been entrusted to Gayatri Projects Ltd whose work is not upto the mark as the company doesn’t carry out the work properly causing road accidents regularly.

Around 600 lives have been lost in several road accidents in this area during last 4 years. Construction of two bridges at Panimahar and Chandan Pokhiri has not yet been completed. In addition, the construction of seven elephant under pass (EUP) is also pending, he said.

Apart from these problems, the land compensation amount at revised rate has not been paid to the land losers in many places, the Minister said.