Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan has asked Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari to approve urgent safety and traffic-management works on NH-49 in Deogarh district, including a flyover, underpass, service roads, roadside drains and highway lighting.
In a letter to Gadkari, Pradhan said NH-49 carries heavy interstate freight traffic as well as local vehicles, creating congestion and accident risks at several points near Deogarh town. He requested the Union minister’s personal intervention and asked him to direct the National Highways Authority of India to consider the proposed works on priority.
One of the locations identified in the letter is the Y-junction near Ambedkar Square, at the entry point of the Deogarh bypass. The area is close to the collectorate, the new bus stand and a women’s college, resulting in significant local movement alongside high-speed highway traffic.
Pradhan sought an elevated flyover at the junction, along with a dedicated service road and adequate lighting. The proposed separation of local and through traffic is intended to reduce conflict between vehicles entering nearby institutions and freight and other vehicles travelling along NH-49.
The MP also raised concerns about Birsa Munda Square, where State Highway-21 on the Deogarh-Angul route merges with NH-49 near the town limits. According to the letter, fast-moving highway traffic and local vehicles converge at the junction, making it vulnerable to accidents and disrupting traffic flow.
For Birsa Munda Square, Pradhan proposed properly designed slip roads and a vehicle-friendly underpass. The measures would address the merging movement between the state highway and NH-49 while reducing direct conflict at the junction.
The letter also highlighted safety concerns in Kala, Kandhal and Tileibani, settlements where residential activity has increased and brought more pedestrians and local vehicles onto the highway. Pradhan requested service roads with roadside drains, pedestrian guardrails and lighting in these areas.
The proposed works would require consideration and approval by the national highways authorities. The immediate next step sought by Pradhan is intervention from the road transport and highways ministry and priority examination of the projects by the National Highways Authority of India.
