Bhubaneswar, June 3 -- In a major infrastructure boost for coastal Odisha, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the construction of a new Rameshwar-Konark-Paradip Coastal Highway at a whopping cost of Rs 8,300.79 crore.

The 160.18-km Greenfield Coastal Corridor, to be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), is expected to significantly improve connectivity across the coastal districts of Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur while boosting tourism, trade and logistics infrastructure.

The project forms part of the proposed coastal highway corridor extending from Rameshwar in Odisha to Digha in West Bengal and aims to decongest existing highways while...