OBCC to be transformed into 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.