Cuttack: A lack of response to bids for two underpass projects at Sikharpur and Balikuda has delayed their start.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had invited bids for construction of vehicular underpasses on NH-16 at Sikharpur and Balikuda. The Traffic Management Committee for Cuttack had recommended the underpass to streamline traffic at the two spots .

The Sikharpur traffic crossing is the converging point of the city's traffic from Mahanadi Vihar, Nayabazar and Chauliaganj on the eastern side of the highway and Gandarpur, Sikharpur and Jobra on the highway's western side. Balikuda is a busy intersection on the national highway towards Bhubaneswar, which links Cuttack to Banki and Barang.

Acting on the committee's recommendation, the NHAI had decided to construct the two underpasses with a budget of Rs 17 crore for each.

NHAI manager (technical) Deba Prasad Sahoo said on Monday bids were accordingly invited for the two projects in June. The plan was to start construction in July and complete it within two years.

"But no bidder responded to tenders for both the projects. As a result, construction cannot be started according to schedule," he said.

"But we have already started the process for inviting bids again by the end of July," he said, expressing hope that construction could be started in August.

The high court constituted Traffic Management Committee has been pressing for an underpass at Balikuda since the expansion of NH-16 was taken up five years ago "It is essential to ensure smooth flow of traffic in all directions from the busy intersection," said advocate P.R. Dash, a committee member.

It wanted to close the traffic crossing at Sikharpur as it had become essential to cope with increasing accidents at the junction. However, local residents opposed closing the cut point on the highway.

"So the underpass was planned as an alternative," assistant commissioner of police (traffic) P.K. Dalai said.

Closure of the cut-point was opposed on grounds that it would affect around 20,000 people on both sides of the highway and force them to travel an extra kilometre or more.

Sikharpur-Gandarpur Puja Committee members said: "We are happy that the NHAI has decided to construct the vehicular underpass as an alternative to closing the cut-point at the crossing."