The unfinished work on the Golden Quadrilateral project in Orissa, which involves the four laning of the National Highway (NH) No 5 passing through the state, would take two more years for completion.
Construction work is pending on the 56.16-km Ganjam-Sunakhala stretch of the project which entails an expenditure of Rs 231 crore. The work on this stretch has been stalled for the last two years as PCL-STICO, the contractor for the project, was expelled by the National Highway Authority of India Limited (NHAI), the agency implementing the project, for poor progress of work.
Concerned over the inordinate delay in completion of the project in Orissa, Rajya Sabha MP Renubala Pradhan has urged the Union minister for shipping, road transport and highways to expedite the project.
In a letter to the ministry, Pradhan stated that frequent road mishaps occurred, especially in the unfinished portion of the road. Meanwhile, NHAI has selected KNR Construction, a Hyderabad-based construction company for execution of the balance work on the road project.
“NHAI will sign an agreement with KNR Construction very soon. After the signing of the agreement, the company will start work on the project and complete it within two years”, Pravat Ranjan Beuria, project director, NHAI told Business Standard.Similarly, the KMC-RK-SD, the joint venture company, which is constructing the 50.81-km Ganjam-Ichhapuram stretch has sought additional time to complete the work.