Baramunda Square in Bhubaneswar, from where the expansion of the national highway has started. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 26: The state government’s move to acquire land for expansion of National Highway No. 5 passing through the city — from Baramunda to Chandikhol — has caused widespread resentment among people living along this stretch.

The six-lane expansion plan of the highway that connects Calcutta and Chennai was approved by the state and Union governments in 2002.

Residents of Hanspal are angry with the expansion move as they fear the proposed service roads, planned just after the Hanspal bridge, would wipe out the entire locality and pay them a paltry sum.

The stretch from Baramunda to the end of the city limits in Naharkanta and beyond will be affected by the land acquisition plan. But the stretch between Rasulgarh Square and Hanspal bridge will be the worst hit as many buildings requires to be demolished.

“In a preliminary notification, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), through the state government, has sought response from the general public. We have superimposed the proposed map of the project on the revenue map to find out which plots need to be acquired. People can file their suggestions and complaints, but there will be a proper field survey after this,” said land acquisition officer, Khurda, Janaki Ballabh Mishra.

“We have completed acquisition inside the city in areas such as CRP Square and Nayapalli,” he said.

Beyond Kuakhia Bridge, Hanspal will be largely hit, as the NHAI plans to build two service roads on either side of NH-5. There will be no underpass to allow traffic to flow to the opposite side.

“My land in Hanspal can fetch me a market price of Rs 50 lakh, but if I agree to the land acquisition notification and the market price fixed by the state government, I will get only Rs 9 lakh,” said Arjit Mohapatra, a city-based doctor.

Bhabtosh Hota, who said his property near Hanspal could fetch around Rs 2 crore, is also a worried man.

“I don’t understand why they want to build additional service roads when an underpass would serve the need,” he said.

Structural engineering consultant Subhakanta Swain said: “An existing underpass could be made wider to serve the purpose. There is no need to build service roads there.”

However, project director, NHAI Odisha, Prashant Deva, said: “The notification issued by the Odisha government is preliminary. The residents have every right to file their responses and only then will action be taken.”

Regarding the service roads, he said: “The NHAI will build the service roads on its own land with record of rights.”

President, Mahanagar Jatiya Rajpath Mahasangh, (an organisation of city residents) Bibekananda Panigrahi, said: “The NHAI had promised to divert the NH through a bypass near Pitapalli so that heavy vehicles moving from Chennai to Calcutta would not have to enter the city.”