Hazaribag: Land acquisition for an interchange linking Hazaribag district to the proposed six-lane Varanasi-Kolkata Greenfield Expressway has been completed at Phataha in Katkamdag block of Hazaribag district, where construction has begun on site under Bharatmala Pariyojana.Nearly 733 acres have been acquired for the interchange, which will provide expressway access to Hazaribag and the neighbouring districts of Chatra, Koderma, and Ramgarh. It would also improve connectivity to Barkagaon and the coal belt, creating a faster route to Varanasi, Bihar, and West Bengal, officials said.District administration had acquire around 733 acres in 26 villages for the project. The Land Acquisition Office has disbursed nearly Rs 59 crore to landowners as compensation, an official said.About 48 km of the expressway will pass through Hazaribag district. It will enter through Itkhori near Bedgi village in Chatra, cross Katkamsandi, and continue towards Ramgarh via Chainpur in Mandu.Fourteen villages in Katkamdag block, including Bendi, Adra, Kusumbha, Sisoi, Haram, Resham, Kuba, Pundri, Phataha, Bes, Cheechi and Udaipur, are in the notified project zone. Parts of Sadar, Churchu, Barkagaon, and Dadi blocks are included in the corridor.The multi-state, access-controlled expressway will connect Varanasi and Kolkata through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. It is expected to facilitate passenger-freight movement and improve access to industrial-commercial centres. Better connectivity would benefit Chatra, Ramgarh, and Bokaro and boost trade, logistics, and industrial activity, officials said.Expressway project director Manoj Kumar Pandey said, “Land acquisition in Hazaribag is complete. Construction is under way in Katkamdag. Efforts are being made to complete the work within the deadline.”
