Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister, examined the Works Department’s main projects. Prafulla Kumar Mallik, the Hon. Minister of Steel and Mines, opened the debate by highlighting the government’s implementation of its election manifesto for 2019 and outlining the department’s accomplishments over the previous 20 years and the last four years. Speaking to the media at this location today, Mallik said that the 546-kilometer-long Biju Expressway, which connects Rourkela and Ampani from north to south, was finished in a record amount of time. The construction of the 318 km long Biju Expressway-II, which connects Berhampur and Jeypore, is underway. The Southern and Western Odisha regions’ socioeconomic prosperity would be aided by the Biju Expressway, which is more than just a road. Compared to the promised 1000 km, 6800 km of roads have been finished, which is extraordinary.
For the $8.5 billion has already been spent. Two-lane road link has been constructed for the 267 block headquarters. By March 2024, 26 further block headquarters will be linked. By June 2024, 2-lane roadways are expected to link the rest 21 block headquarters. 2-lane all-weather roads have been installed in all Municipal Corporations, 46 Municipalities, and 63 NACs.
A total of 55 significant industrial clusters, including the Indian Ordinance Factory in Bolangir, Bhusan Steel Ltd in Dhenkanal, Sabitri Industries (P) Ltd in Jajpur, Vedanta Limited in Jharsuguda, TATA Steel Ltd., Ferro Alloys Plant in Keonjhar, Rourkela Steel Plant in Rourkela, etc., have been given access to 2- and 4-lane highways. Additionally, 15 highways have been constructed to link industrial clusters.
Mallik added that 12-lane roads connect 12 significant tourist destinations, including Chandipur, Talasari in Balasore, Cuttack, Taratarini in Ganjam, Chilika, Dhauli, and Salia Dam in Khordha, Daringibadi in Kandhamal, Gupteswar in Koraput, Satapada in Puri, Huma in Sambalpur, and Ghoghar in Sundargarh. In addition, 5 other tourist destinations are scheduled to achieve 2-lane connectivity by March 2024.
The Mission Shakti Department has been given 50 Wayside Amenities Centers to be managed by Women SHGs. This model will be the first of its sort in the nation. In significant cities like Bhadrak, Berhampur, Baripada, Balasore, Bhawanipatna, Balangir, Bargarh, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, and Sambalpur, new ring highways have been proposed for construction.
