Bhubaneswar, Sept. 27: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik today urged Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari to construct a flyover at Khandagiri Square in Bhubaneswar.

Naveen also met railway minister Piyush Goyal and urged him to start a Rajdhani Express to link Delhi from Bhubaneswar via Sambalpur. He also wanted a new train to Mumbai named after leader of the Paika rebellion Buxi Jagabandhu. He took up the issue of a railway link between Sun Temple at Konark and Puri. The chief minister also pleaded for modernisation of 11 railway stations and to expedite laying of tracks from Jeypore to Nabarangpur and Jeypore to Malkangiri.

Naveen also took up the case of the railway over bridge at Samjajpur near Puri. The project was yet to be completed even though the deadline was before the Nabakalebar in 2015.

In his discussion with Gadkari in New Delhi, Naveen emphasised the need of a flyover at Khandagiri as it falls on National Highway 16 that passes through Bhubaneswar making it one of the city's busiest intersections.

He told the minister that the flyover had become a necessity as some of the worst road accidents in the city had happened at Khandagiri Square.

The number of accidents at the square has gone up due to sudden increase in traffic volume. On September 3, two students of a private engineering college were killed and one sustained grievous injuries in a road accident at the square.

He also underscored the need to construct another floyover at Ghorika Chhaka, about 10km from Khandagiri Square, leading to Info Valley-II near Khurda on NH-16. This, he said, would curb congestion there.

Naveen also urged the Union minister to expedite finalisation of tenders to start these works at the earliest.

The chief minister also reminded Gadkari how the Centre had accorded in-principle approval for 12 state roads as new national highways covering a length of 1,193 km during 2015 and 2016-17.

'The Centre should declare these as national highways expeditiously and also number them appropriately,' Naveen said. He added that the state government had also submitted a proposal to declare 30 state roads, which fulfil the eligibility criteria, covering a length of 2,483km, as national highways in December last year. He also stressed the need to make Cuttack-Angul a four-lane road. Gadkari assured Naveen that priority would be accorded to the pending national highway projects in Odisha and appropriate action would be initiated.

Official sources revealed that Gadkari also assured to consider the proposal for declaring 30 eligible state roads as national highways favourably.