Balasore: An underpass will be built within a year near Vellora Square located on the NH-60 stretch between Balasore and Kharagpur, identified as an accident-prone zone.

The underpass has been a longstanding demand of the people living in the area.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has sanctioned funds for construction of the underpass and a foundation stone has been laid. "The NHAI has cleared the project and the execution has been assigned to a private company," said a senior officer of NHAI. "The project would be completed within nine to 12 months."

"The stretch has become deadly and we hope the underpass is built at the earliest," said said Mahadev Das, who stays in the area.