KAWARDHA is set for a major infrastructure upgrade with a 7.8- km stretch of National Highway30 to be converted into a fourlane road at a cost of Rs 54 crore. Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma performed the bhoomi pujan for the project at the new Mandi complex in Kawardha on Thursday. The four-lane road, with a central divider, will run from Chandrayaan Hospital through Kawardha city to beyond Joratal. Grand entrance gates will also be constructed on the Raipur and Bilaspur routes, with designs reflecting the city’s religious and cultural identity. Sao announced additional development works, including Rs 3.5 crore for a community hall and mutton market in Kawardha Municipality, Rs 1.5 crore for market relocation in Bodla, Rs 1.5 crore for a Gaurav Path at Badhantola in Sahaspur Lohara and Rs 1.5 crore for a sports ground in Pipariya. Various road construction and repair works were also announced.

 

Sharma said development projects worth around Rs 140 crore have been sanctioned for Kawardha, covering roads, education, urban development and religious tourism. A Rs 4.5-crore Nalanda Complex with round-the-clock library and digital library facilities is under construction. The Ghotiya Road, built at a cost of Rs 10 crore, will support the new bus stand, while Rs 1.46 crore has been sanctioned for the Bhoramdeo complex. Other development works are underway at the pond complex, parks, fairgrounds, Chherki Mahal, Ramchua and Sarodha. Sao said the State Government had accorded administrative approval to PWD projects worth Rs 12,666 crore over the past two and a half years, with several projects completed and others under implementation. Sharma and Sao also highlighted the Government’s development and security initiatives, including efforts to curb Naxalism and expand basic infrastructure. MP Santosh Pandey said the proposed entrance gates and four-lane road would improve Kawardha’s appearance and transportation infrastructure. He also cited ongoing road and railway projects, including the proposed KatghoraDongargarh rail line, as initiatives expected to strengthen regional connectivity