Bhubaneswar: The state works department and not the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will construct underground drains along the national highway to evacuate water.

"The state government will provide funds for construction of the underground drain from CRPF Square to Jayadev Vihar and Jayadev Vihar to Vani Vihar. The tender will be floated shortly and work will be completed by the next monsoon," said chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi after an emergency meeting on the issue on Thursday.

Frequent waterlogging on this stretch along the NH-5 has been causing problems for people and this has become a bone of contention between the NHAI and the civic bodies. The two have been blaming each other for the situation.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to Union surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari to intervene and find a permanent solution to the problem. Now, the state government has stepped in and has decided to execute the job of finding a solution to the waterlogging issue.

Chief secretary Padhi directed works secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan to prepare a special project and start construction at the earliest.

NHAI chief general manager Dharmananda Sarangi, who was present at the meeting, agreed to extend all support in this regard, said sources.

However, he did not speak to the media.