Berhampur, Feb. 10: The road-widening work at the busy Kamapalli Square here has been expedited with the shifting of former minister and popular leader Brundaban Nayak's statue.

The statue has been shifted 60 feet away from its original location.

Kamapalli Square is the main junction in Berhampur city and connects Ankuli with the NH-16 through a railway overbridge. The square also connects MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Ambapua, Chatrapur, Gopalpur, Goilundi and a new bus stand with Giri Road, Bijipur, Gosaninuagaon and the railway station.

"There was not enough circulating space for vehicles at Kamapalli Square. The statue of Nayak and the island where it was installed used up a lot of space. Widening of the square and shifting of the statue was the best option," said executive engineer of public works department (PWD) Binod Kumar Padhi.

"We demolished an official quarter of the PWD adjoining Kamapalli Square which was the first step to acquire more space and accommodate the statue," said Padhi.

Nayak's life-size bronze statue at Kamapalli Square was built by Berhampur municipality at a cost of Rs 4 lakh. It was inaugurated by former Odisha governor B. Satyanarayan Reddy in 1993.

The secretary of Brundaban Nayak Smuti Committee, Pramod Kumar Panda said: "The decision to shift the statue is totally justified since it will ease traffic congestion."