BDA clears first hurdle towards creating Damana by-pass for alternate road network

Bhubaneswar: Senior officials of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) made the on-the-spot inquiry and initiated the first step towards opening of the Damana-Gadakana Road leading from Damana Square to Netaji Subhash Enclave. This road, once completed in the area will serve as the alternate road to connect Damana with Sainik School Square and serve as a bypass.
The path of the road would be Damana Square – Netaji Subhash Enclave-East Coast Railway area-Sainik School- Sainik School Square on Acharya Vihar-Kalinga Hospital Road and vice-versa.
It can be mentioned here that with the congestion on the Airport-Nandankanan road increasing day by day, the Odisha Government has planned to have two alternate road networks on two side of the major lifeline of the city. Interestingly, while the road from Damana side and Netaji Subhash Enclave have progressed much, due to encroachment and acquisition issues, the work has been stalled for almost three years.
A senior official team of BDA headed by Secretary Ramesh Chandra Rout reached the spot yesterday and also ordered removal of the structures like unauthorised boundary walls and other obstacles. However, four houses on private land were marked for which negotiations have started with the owners, so that the land would be available after the process to speed up the road-laying work.
Officials from BMC and land acquisition officer of Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Khurda were also present along with the senior officials from BDA and the project involves many components.
BDA Member (Enforcement) and additional commissioner Bhabani Shankar Chayani said “the action by BDA team yesterday has given a momentum to the process of development in the area and once the road is opened, it would provide a better access and also alternate passage to the traffic management, which infects the busy Jaydev Vihar-Nandan Kanan stretch every day.’’
The road would provide a convenient bypass for the people to reach Sainik School Square via taking the left turn from Damana Square, while coming from the Nandankan end and also vice versa, once the road is open. “This action also helped in moving the stalled sewerage network project as a major pipeline was to pass under that stretch. Now that work has also started,’’ the senior BDA official added.
Sources said, the Damana-Gadakana road was planned long ago and to help more than 20,000 in the Gadakana and Mancheswar area. People staying in Netaji Subhash Enclave in Gadakana with 304 dwelling units, belonging to HIG and HIG deluxe category, would also get benefit from it.
Meanwhile a meeting under the chairmanship of BDA Secretary Ramesh Chandra Rout has decided to go for the land acquisition through direct purchase through bilateral negotiations in Gadakana mouza, required both for the vital road project and laying of the sewerage network. However, the compensation would be facilitated by the Sewerage Board and the rates will be fixed by Collector, Khurda as per the principles of negations prescribed by the Revenue and Disaster Mitigation Department, Government of Odisha.
It can be mentioned here that just like the Sainik School-Damana by-pass another road network along the other side of the Jaydev-Vihar Nandankana road, would be developed, joining Ekamra Kanan and Niladri Vihar-Sailashri Vihar creating a parallel by-pass to decongest the growing traffic in the city.