PARADIP: Construction of the Cuttack-Paradip State highway seems to be leading nowhere. With only 40 per cent of the work completed in three years, the delay has led to resentment among locals who stalled traffic at Kujang, last week. The Rs 224-crore road widening project was scheduled to be completed in two years, but shortage of construction material, delay in getting the forest clearance and alleged negligence of Works Department got it limping. The 82-km road has been divided into two reaches with NIRAJ construction agency responsible for the first 43 km from Cuttack to Jaipur and the remaining 39 km from Jaipur to Paradip awarded to ARSS. NIRAJ ARSS is a joint venture company. Lopsided construction on the first stretch with piecemeal work, especially from Cuttack to Kandarpur, has rendered the road useless with frequent accidents being reported along the stretch. Meanwhile, the State Government has imposed a penalty ` 5 crore on NIRAJ for the delay. Its partner agency, ARSS has been entrusted with the responsibility of completing the job.A senior engineer with NIRAJ clarified that it took two years to get the forest clearance from the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment which affected construction of Cuttack-Kandarapur road. On the other hand, the Government had directed the construction agency to use cement of Odisha Cement Ltd (OCL) for the construction work. Acute shortage of OCL brand cement further delayed the work, he added.Assistant Engineer, Fakirpada sub-division, Works Department, Jayant Dhal said they needed 13,000 bags for one-km stretch of road but OCL supplied them with only 1,500 bags.Since only 40 km of the total stretch has been completed, it will take them a year or two more to get the job done, he added.
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