Paradip, May 12: World Bank authorities have expressed displeasure over the delay in handover of the roadside land required for widening of the 106-km Cuttack-Chandballi state highway.

The agency has refused to start road-widening work for the Rs 800-crore Odisha highway project as the state government agencies have failed to hand over 30 per cent of the roadside land to the executing agency.

The project envisages widening the circuitous 106-km long highway is widely regarded as lifeline for people in Kendrapara district. Besides Kendrapara, the project traverses through Cuttack and Bhadrak districts.

Chief engineer of the World Bank projects (Odisha), in a letter to the state government, expressed dissatisfaction over the inordinate delay in diversion of the roadside land.

The land acquisition and handover process are complete only at two villages in Kendrapara while roadside land is yet to be acquired and handed over at 50 more villages. In adjoining Bhadrak, the process is not complete at all the seven roadside villages while roadside land transfer has been over at 21 villages in Cuttack district. Land transfer process is still incomplete at 17 more villages.

The tender-bidding process could only kick off once respective district authorities would hand over 29-km stretch in favour of the project, said the chief engineer.

“We have handed over land at two villages. The process would be over by May-end at three more villages. About 57 acres of private land are set for handover as well. Around 20 acres have so far been transferred. Delay in land handover is because of certain reasons beyond our control. We are quite hopeful that the process would be over by July-end,” said land acquisition officer Digambar Nayak.

“We are encountering acute staff shortage. The land acquisition wing is being run by skeletal staff,” said Nayak.