Koraput, 10/9/: Governor Dr. Haribabu Kambhampati visited Koraput district and reviewed the progress of Raipur-Vishakhapatna express highway under construction under Bharat Mala Yojana. Known as the Raipur-Vishakhapatna Express Highway (NH-130CD), the six-lane highway operated by the National Highways Authority of India under the Economic Corridor Bharat Mala Paryojana is expected to increase cargo capacity and boost exports. The Governor visited Sudong (OD 7) of this express highway near Patangi and reviewed the ongoing construction work.
The National Highways Authority and other officials briefed the Governor on the current status and future timelines of the project. Starting from Raipur in Chhattisgarh and passing through Nabarangpur and Koraput districts of Odisha to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, the total length of this expressway will be reduced to 464 km instead of 590 km and the travel time will be only 6 hours instead of 14 hours. Similarly, after the completion of this corridor, it will take only two hours to reach Visakhapatna from Koraput. Koraput MLA Raghuram Fish, Kotpad MLA Rupu Bhatra, District Collector Manoj Satyavan Mahajan, National Highways Authority of India AR, Venkateswarlu were present during the governor’s review. After the review, the Governor held discussions with the officials, employees and workers working on the project.