Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road extension project stands still

Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 : Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road extension project in the smart city heads nowhere with forest category of land, problems relating to rehabilitation and resettlement and eviction of encroachment standing as obstacle on the way. Public works department (PWD) has recently started working on Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road widening project. Beginning from Nandankanan, road widening work has completed about 4 kilometre within a fortnight. Work on the right road is  running in full swing. However on the left side, the road construction has come to a halt as the land adjacent to the existing road  belongs to the forest department coming under the Chandaka range. To use forest land for any construction purpose, PWD has to compensate double in exchange of the same land. The forest department has to transfer concerned land in favour of the PWD.   Accordingly, PWD has asked Bhubaneswar Tehsildar to provide 30 acres of barren waste type land. However, the Tehsildar responded saying no suitable land  is found under his tehsil for the said purpose. As a result the left side road construction could no even start due to non clearance from the forest department. Another 13 kilometre road starting from Ekamra park upto Institute of Mathematics near Chandaka is yet to widened and renovated.  Apart from this problem, factors like land acquisition, eviction, rehabilitation and resettlement block the way of ongoing construction. About  12.329 acres of private land now awaits acquisition and other legal complicities. Similarly 1.961 acres of encroached land will have to be freed from encroachment. All these process involves long term planning for providing compensation package, rehabilitation and resettlement of the land evictees. Encountering all  such problems, Public Works department has left all these things at the hands of Khurda district administration and the government for early disposal. Thus,the fate of the  project is now in the court of Khurda Collector and the General Administration department, as say the PWD authorities.