ADMINSTRATION MOOTS BETTER INSTITUTIONAL OPTIONS FOR ROAD SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
CHIEF SECRETARY ADVICES TO TRANSFORM OBCC TO AN INNOVATIVE EXPERT AGENCY
Bhubaneswar, 12th May
Experts on construction and maintenance of roads & buildings along with senior administrative officers of the
State had a brain storming exercise today in a workshop held under chairmanship of Chief Secretary Sri Gokul Chandra
Pati at Secretariat conference hall wherein Secretary Works Sri Nalini Kanta Pradhan outlined the issues for
discussion. The experts from World Bank, Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats, Grant Thornton, Arkitechno,
Odisha Bridge Development Corporation and Works department of Govt of Odisha put forth their views on various
options on institutional options for Odisha’s road sector development.
The issues relating to development of road sector policy & strategy, road safety engineering and planning, road
network master planning, vehicle axie load regulation & management, future road funding & management, road toll
collection & management, reorganization & strengthening of Odisha Works department, staff training & capacity
building, revision of work code & manual and Institutional options for future road sector development were discussed in
the meeting. The inputs from Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, NHAI, departments of Works department,
Housing & urban Development, Panchyati Raj, Finance, Planning & Coordination, Law, Water Resources, Forest,
Home along with the opinion of State Transport Authority, Odisha State Road Transport Corporation, Construction
Industries, Transport Industries, NGOs and civil society collected earlier for the purpose through workshops and
seminars were also discussed in the meeting. Considering all these inputs, Chief Secretary Sri Pati has advised to
transform existing Odisha Bridge Corporation to an innovative expert agency for construction and upkeep of the roads
and buildings in Odisha. The Corporation has been advised to strengthen its in-house capacity, revamp its modus
operandi, find out and pilot innovative road technologies and modes of financing the road sector. It has been decided in
the meeting that necessary amendments to the mandate and memorandum of OBCC will be put to Govt for
consideration. Chief Secretary asked CMD OBCC Sri S.K. Roy present in the meeting to work out a definite proposal in
the matter.
Secretary Panchayati Raj Sri D. K. Singh, senior officers from concerned departments along with engineering
and finance experts from various agencies participated in deliberations.
----------------------** U.K.Mohapatra**
PRO to Chief Secretary