Bhubaneswar, July 3: This month, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) will set the ball rolling for construction of a 64.9km long and 60metre wide ring road that will ensure smooth traffic flow in the city.

The ring road will take off from Pahala on the city outskirts and connect important places such as Dhauli Square, Retanga railway station, Tamando, Sum Hospital, Chandaka and Nandankanan.

The most important feature of the proposed road will be an exclusive corridor for a bus rapid transport system (BRTS). Though the ring road will be divided into five sectors, the facility will be developed simultaneously. However, in the initial phase, work will begin in those sectors where land availability is easier. As decision has been taken on the areas through which the ring road will run, the BDA will notify the project by the end of this month.

Chief engineer, development planning and investigation and roads, B.C. Pradhan said: “While the road portion will be constructed along with additional infrastructure by the PWD, the BDA will facilitate the planning part and implementation of the town planning scheme. Not only streamlining of traffic, but development activities around the city will also get a major facelift once the ring road is built. The project might take six years to complete.’’

“After developing the areas along the ring road, the BDA can also rope in developers to build more housing projects so that people can get houses with all infrastructure facilities and a modern public transport system. This will ensure better urban development, unlike what has happened along the Jatni-Sundarpada road,’’ said real-estate developer Manoranjan Ray.

Parthasarathi Das, a college lecturer, said: “With unavailability of land in the city, I am yet to purchase a plot or house till date. I hope, the ring road and the ancillary development can help me get a land or house.’’

The ring road as planned in the comprehensive development plan (CDP) of the BDA was 56.8km. However, due to change in the alignment and inclusion of flyovers and railway overbridges, it has added several kilometers to it.

Some alignment of the ring road runs close to Dhauli, which is famous for its Ashokan rock edict. In this regard the development authority will also seek the view the Archaeological Survey of India as proposed by IIT, Kharagpur, which originally drafted the CDP.

Vice-chairman of the BDA Krishan Kumar told The Telegraph: “The ring road will not only ensure organised development around the city, but also help people coming from Puri, Berhampur or Khurda to avoid city limits.’’

The project would require 760.19 acres of land. The estimated cost of the project, which will be executed over a period of five years, is Rs 2,200 crore of which Rs 1,200 crore will be spent on construction of the facility and the rest on land acquisition.

However, the cost of land acquisition may go down if the town planning scheme is followed.

Under the scheme, which is popular in Gujarat, land is taken from private owners, developed by creating basic infrastructure such as roads and then a part of their land is returned to the owners.

This scheme does not oblige the developer to pay the owners any monetary compensation.