The truck terminal project along NH-16 at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district remains a non-starter two years after it was suggested. The district administration proposed building a terminal for trucks in 2020 to help with traffic flow on the NH, which is frequently congested. The government went so far as to ask the Transportation Department to find 10-20 acres of land for the project.
As per the proposal, the terminal would have weigh bridge, fuel stations, cold stores, godowns, workshop, rest area, police stations, RTO office, healthcare facilities, check posts, administrative block, drinking water, toilets, shops and lodging facilities. It was also proposed to provide utility services for drivers and transporters.
The Transport Department wrote to Ganjam administration in December 2021, requesting that a detailed project report (DPR) and work plan be prepared for approval of the proposed truck terminal. The government, on the other hand, is said to have yet to respond to the letter.
Only a signboard has been placed at the truck terminal location on an underpass. The Gopalpur port officials have taken a portion of the identified area for parking its trucks due to the project’s delay in implementation.
Locals opposed frequent traffic congestion on the NH, prompting the construction of the truck terminal. In the absence of a defined parking space, trucks and other heavy vehicles involved in transportation activities for Gopalpur port, Indian Rare Earths Ltd, Titanium plant, Tata Industrial park, cement and FCI godowns were parked on the roadways of several villages. Furthermore, the roads were damaged as a result of heavy vehicle traffic.
