Bhubaneswar: Jharsuguda MLA Dipali Das raised the issue of the condition of National Highway 55 in the Odisha Assembly. She claimed that the work on the national highway connecting Cuttack to Sambalpur has not been repaired and that the road is in shambles. She alleged that the Central Government is not taking any action to improve the condition of the road, despite repeated protests from the BJD.
The condition of NH-55 has been a major concern for the people of Odisha for many years. The highway is in a dilapidated state, with potholes and cracks all along its stretch. This has made it a dangerous road to travel on and has led to numerous accidents and deaths.
On the second day of the monsoon session of the state assembly, the House met for the first time, and the BJP members trooped into the well of the House and shouted slogans. The question did not arise, and the Speaker adjourned the House until 11.30 p.m., then until 4 p.m.
However, BJP MLA Mukesh Mahaling claims that the Union Government has given a lot of money for national highway works and that the allegations leveled by the ruling BJD are baseless. He says that during the last nine years of the Modi government, 4,143 km of national highways were constructed in Odisha at a cost of Rs 28,251 crore, while during the nine years of the Congress government, only 1,498 km of national highways were constructed at a cost of Rs 4,160 crore.
He also says that the main reasons for the delay in the construction of the national highway are land acquisition and forest clearances, which the state government is also directly responsible for. He also alleges that state government leaders and ministers are delaying projects in many places for personal gain.
