Bhubaneswar, June 27 (IANS): The 1,205 km Ranchi-Vijayawada national highway passing through Maoist-affected areas of Odisha would be completed by March 2017, the authorities said on Saturday after a review meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The state government expects that the development of the road would usher in economic development in the tribal areas besides containing Maoist activities.

Patnaik on Saturday held a review meeting on the progress of the national highway connecting Ranchi in Jharkhand and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

According to a release by the Chief Minister's Office, out of the total length, construction work on 820 km has been completed, while work is going on on 199 km.

Work on the 650 km Rourkela-Jagadalpur Biju Expressway is also going on.

While construction of 166 km is going on in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, work on 183 km is being carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).