Bhubaneswar, Aug 17 (IANS): Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that the 451-km long Digha-Gopalpur coastal highway will be a game-changer in transforming the fortunes of coastal Odisha.

In a series of tweets, Pradhan said that maintaining the ecological and environmental sanctity of the region, the coastal area will also emerge as one of India's prime tourist attractions.

"Digha-Gopalpur coastal highway will also act as an economic corridor for the transport of agricultural and pisciculture produce to Paradip and Dhamra port and also play an important role in movement of supplies during natural disasters such as cyclones and floods," said the Minister.

Last year, the state government had given the nod to the Rs 7,500-crore coastal highway project that will link Gopalpur in Odisha and Digha in West Bengal.

The project was cleared after the government agreed to the original alignment of Satpada-Digha stretch via Puri-Konark-Astarang-Ratanpur-Dhamara-Basudevpur-Chandipur.

"Expansion of National Cadet Corps (NCC) in the coastal areas will open new avenues for the youth of the region and further strengthen disaster management capabilities," Pradhan tweeted.

"With the impetus being given to Odisha in infrastructure development, it will emerge as a key contributor of Aatmanirbhar Bharat," he added.

He said Odisha has been one of the prime beneficiaries of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's infra and connectivity push.

"Blessed with a long coastline and having India's biggest container handling port and a petrochemical complex in Paradip, Odisha is strategically poised for synergised infrastructure push," said the Minister.