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Odisha Floats ₹71.42 Cr Tender for Rural Road and Bridge Works

13 Oct 2026, 09:47 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

Bhubaneswar: Following severe monsoon disruptions that severed rural transport corridors, the Odisha government has initiated a ₹71.42-crore infrastructure drive to rebuild and reinforce battered road and bridge networks in the flood-affected northern coastal districts of Balasore and Bhadrak.

The reconstruction effort targets damage caused by heavy rainfall, localized landslides, and floodwaters that inundated regional corridors this year, sweeping away road segments and crippling transport links essential for village commuters.

As reported by Times of India, a formal tender notification issued by the Office of the Chief Construction Engineer, Rural Works Circle, Balasore, covers 10 road projects and one bridge project across both districts. The contracts encompass a mix of road improvements, fresh road development, and bridge construction routed through state programs, primarily the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana (MMSY) alongside its disaster-mitigation wing, the MMSY–Disaster Resilient Roads (MMSY-DRR).

Bidding is conducted entirely online through the state’s e-procurement portal. Contractors can submit technical and financial proposals starting October 12, with the submission window closing on November 3. Technical evaluation of the received bids is slated to begin on November 4.

Under the framework set by the tender, project execution timelines range from nine to 12 months from the date of award, depending on the scope of each individual work. While the tender documentation specifies the overarching financial outlay and duration, it does not release a project-by-project cost breakdown, individual launch dates, a single unified completion target, or estimates regarding the specific population and village count set to benefit from the restored corridors.

The rollout comes in the wake of a performance and damage review conducted by Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan. Harichandan ordered departmental authorities and field engineers to accelerate repair schedules and clear backlogs across inundated areas without procedural delays.

Coupled with the mandate for speed is a direct directive on contractor accountability: the minister instructed departmental staff to initiate legal proceedings against any construction firms or agencies that deliver substandard workmanship or fail to meet performance standards during the rebuilding phase.