The Jagatsinghpur district administration in Odisha has lodged an FIR against officials associated with the National Highway-55 (NH-55) project and the executing contractor over alleged delays and poor-quality construction work. The action follows a joint inspection that reportedly identified damaged road sections and unsatisfactory progress in the long-pending highway expansion project.
According to district officials, the FIR has been registered against the National Highway-55 Superintending Engineer, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), and the project manager of ARSS, the company responsible for executing the project. The complaint was filed by the Sub-Collector at the Jagatsinghpur Police Station after a joint inspection conducted by District Collector J. Sonal and Superintendent of Police Ankit Verma.
During the inspection, officials examined the progress of the highway project and reviewed complaints received from commuters and local residents. The inspection allegedly revealed multiple stretches with cracked roads, depressed bitumen surfaces and slow construction activity. The district administration has directed the concerned authorities to expedite the project while ensuring prescribed quality standards.
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The widening of NH-55, extending from CRRI in Cuttack to Nuagaon in Jagatsinghpur, commenced in 2017. Of the proposed 94-kilometre corridor, nearly 79 kilometres fall within Jagatsinghpur district. Despite an estimated project cost of around ₹1,000 crore and nearly eight years of construction, the highway project remains incomplete.
Residents have repeatedly raised concerns over prolonged construction, alleging that the unfinished highway has resulted in traffic congestion, frequent road accidents and significant inconvenience for commuters. Slow progress on the Jagatsinghpur town bypass and the railway flyover at Kandarpur has further fuelled concerns that the project could take another two to three years to be completed if work continues at the present pace.
The district administration’s decision to initiate legal proceedings has been welcomed by local residents, who expect the action to improve accountability, accelerate construction work and ensure better quality in the execution of the project.
The allegations against the officials and the contractor will be examined during the investigation, and responsibility, if any, will be determined in accordance with the law.
