[Sutripta]

Another option is Sambalpur - NH42 - GQ (Just north of Cuttack) - GQ to Calcutta. Around 100 KM longer, but better roads (this of course varies with time, so check) and avoids the Maoist areas, which used to (don't hear of it now) have unscheduled road blockages and bandhs.

Regards
Sutripta

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Nagpur-Sambalpur can be easily done in a day. Try Hotel Sheela Towers.
Sambalpur-Keonjhar-Kharagpur-Calcutta-Durgapur is also easily done in a day.

Thank You Sir.. just the person, I was hoping will respond. Can you please update me on the conditions of the roads .. Maoist problem etc.. I will have my family with me, and that includes my 76 yr old father, who is rather petrified of Maoist problems .. I will be driving a Swift.. The Gypsy is too bumpy for the family.

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Another option is Sambalpur - NH42 - GQ (Just north of Cuttack) - GQ to Calcutta. Around 100 KM longer, but better roads (this of course varies with time, so check) and avoids the Maoist areas, which used to (don't hear of it now) have unscheduled road blockages and bandhs.

Regards
Sutripta

Thanks Sutripta.. Can you give me a list of Maoist areas to avoid in this route. The suggestions, I am getting is from my local friends is rather confusing.. the most prominent one being to drive down to Hyderabad and then on to GQ all the way till Kolkata. I have driven over 1600 miles non-stop (bio break and fuel break's only) but driving alone in US and driving with family in India is two completely different beasts. Any ideas would greatly help me. I intend to drive from 4 AM to ~ 8 PM, with Fuel breaks and lunch break of combined 2 hrs everyday.. so a average of 14 hours of driving per day..

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by deepakkher

I agree. I have done this trip thrice, it's easily doable. However, road upto WB border after leaving Oddisha is terrible. Be prepared.

Thanks!!.. Well it looks like we are two Deep's here .. Can you explain how bad.. and for how long.. another thing is .. I see you are in Pune.. Can we catch up some time and exchange notes.. I will be out of country from 20th till 31st, and will be in Pune then on. If you don't mind Can you please PM me your contact number.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by xtremedeep

Thank You Sir.. just the person, I was hoping will respond. Can you please update me on the conditions of the roads .. Maoist problem etc.. I will have my family with me, and that includes my 76 yr old father, who is rather petrified of Maoist problems .. I will be driving a Swift.. The Gypsy is too bumpy for the family.

Maoist problems on this route are primarily in 2 sections:

- Around Bargarh, OR, between Raipur & Sambalpur. But this is more a problem on roads north of Bargarh, and not on NH6 itself

- In OR-JH-WB border areas approaching Kharagpur. This sector had seen attacks on truckers in the past - and travelling in police convoys - but I have not heard of any episodes involving private cars. Can be avoided totally by taking the Sambalpur-Cuttack route suggested already

It may be wise to avoid these sectors after dark, but you need not unduly worry about driving by day. NH6 has high traffic all the time.

[deepakkher]

the stretch in Jharkhand in particular is TERRIBLE. craters, cant call them potholes, all over. the distance may be about 5 kms but thats enough to avoid the route if you have an alternative. you could try going to Cuttack from sambhalpur and then on to Durgapur, which is what i did the last time i came from durgapur to pune. will be happy to exchange notes, contact me on deepakkher@yahoo.com

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by deepakkher

the stretch in Jharkhand in particular is TERRIBLE. craters, cant call them potholes, all over. the distance may be about 5 kms but thats enough to avoid the route if you have an alternative. you could try going to Cuttack from sambhalpur and then on to Durgapur, which is what i did the last time i came from durgapur to pune. will be happy to exchange notes, contact me on deepakkher@yahoo.com

Thanks!!.. I will be reaching out to you shortly.

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Maoist problems on this route are primarily in 2 sections:

- Around Bargarh, OR, between Raipur & Sambalpur. But this is more a problem on roads north of Bargarh, and not on NH6 itself

- In OR-JH-WB border areas approaching Kharagpur. This sector had seen attacks on truckers in the past - and travelling in police convoys - but I have not heard of any episodes involving private cars. Can be avoided totally by taking the Sambalpur-Cuttack route suggested already

It may be wise to avoid these sectors after dark, but you need not unduly worry about driving by day. NH6 has high traffic all the time.

Thanks Sir.. Basically I have two options then..



The first one is

Pune - Aurangabad - Friday Evening Leaving Pune at 6 PM - reaching at 10 PM - Night halt
Aurangabad - Sambalpur (Doable?) - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 7 PM. - Night halt
Sambalpur-Cuttack-Kharagpur - Haora-Durgapur - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 5 PM

The Second one is
Pune - Solapur - Friday Evening Leaving Pune at 6 PM - reaching at 10 PM - Night Halt
Solapur - Khammam - Vishakapatnam - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 7 PM - Night Halt
Vishakapatnam - Bhubaneshwar-Kharagpur-Haora-Durgapur - Leaving 4 AM reaching around 9 PM.

Which one would you recommend.. The Second option is a tad longer.. but roads are supposedly good.. and you have done both the circuits.. The second one bypasses Lodhashuli forest (My family was attacked and robbed once in 2006) completely?

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by xtremedeep

Thanks Sir.. Basically I have two options then..



The first one is

Pune - Aurangabad - Friday Evening Leaving Pune at 6 PM - reaching at 10 PM - Night halt
Aurangabad - Sambalpur (Doable?) - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 7 PM. - Night halt
Sambalpur-Cuttack-Kharagpur - Haora-Durgapur - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 5 PM

The Second one is
Pune - Solapur - Friday Evening Leaving Pune at 6 PM - reaching at 10 PM - Night Halt
Solapur - Khammam - Vishakapatnam - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 7 PM - Night Halt
Vishakapatnam - Bhubaneshwar-Kharagpur-Haora-Durgapur - Leaving 4 AM reaching around 9 PM.

Which one would you recommend.. The Second option is a tad longer.. but roads are supposedly good.. and you have done both the circuits.. The second one bypasses Lodhashuli forest (My family was attacked and robbed once in 2006) completely?

This are the two alternate routes..

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by xtremedeep

Thanks Sir.. Basically I have two options then..



The first one is

Pune - Aurangabad - Friday Evening Leaving Pune at 6 PM - reaching at 10 PM - Night halt
Aurangabad - Sambalpur (Doable?) - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 7 PM. - Night halt
Sambalpur-Cuttack-Kharagpur - Haora-Durgapur - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 5 PM

The Second one is
Pune - Solapur - Friday Evening Leaving Pune at 6 PM - reaching at 10 PM - Night Halt
Solapur - Khammam - Vishakapatnam - Leaving 4 AM - Reaching around 7 PM - Night Halt
Vishakapatnam - Bhubaneshwar-Kharagpur-Haora-Durgapur - Leaving 4 AM reaching around 9 PM.

Which one would you recommend.. The Second option is a tad longer.. but roads are supposedly good.. and you have done both the circuits.. The second one bypasses Lodhashuli forest (My family was attacked and robbed once in 2006) completely?

Forget the second option - roads are bad on NH9 (Pune-Solapur) and Khammam-Rajahmundry.

The first option is doable with the night halts & timings you have worked out.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by xtremedeep

Thanks Sutripta.. Can you give me a list of Maoist areas to avoid in this route.

Answered by HVK.
Offhand, I'd say use Sambalpur - NH42 - NH5 - NH60 - NH6 - NH2. But do enquire in Sambalpur.

Originally Posted by xtremedeep

The second one bypasses Lodhashuli forest (My family was attacked and robbed once in 2006) completely?

So the routes are not foreign to you.

Regards
Sutripta

[rahul4640]

May I suggest another route? You need not deviate much from NH 6. If you plan to drive during the day, please stick to NH 6 (once called the Great Eastern Road), enjoy the beauties of Bara Ghagra waterfall and Kanjipani Ghat (falling right on your way) and drive straight. The road is undoubtedly very scenic too. Drive as far as Jharpokaria (Bombay Chowk), after which the road suddenly starts to deteriorate. I am afraid here you have to encounter five or six KM of very bad road, with dense truck traffic. But I am sure you can manage this with little patience and skill. You will reach Jamshola (OR-JH) check post. As soon as you clear the check post, do not move forward, even if you are driving a tractor. The road ahead of you may cause serious damage to your car. Please remember that you are right now on the worst road in India. Please look out on your right for a narrow unmarked road. Barely a hundred meter away is Hatibari village (in West Bengal). You may even ask the locals for Hatibari-Gopiballabhpur Road. The road is narrow but decent and maintaining 50-60 KMPH will not be difficult. Soon you will reach Gopiballabhpur. Please continue with this road and you will soon join NH 6. By this time you have also bypassed Chichra (JH-WB) border. This place is called Feko Ghat. Turn right towards Calcutta, where the road is good and I assure you that you will enjoy your drive. But please drive in this stretch only during the day.

[xtremedeep]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Forget the second option - roads are bad on NH9 (Pune-Solapur) and Khammam-Rajahmundry.

The first option is doable with the night halts & timings you have worked out.

Thanks.. HVK.. Once I come back to India from my trip on 31st. I will start working on the details. Can I call you sometime.. I believe, I have your cell phone number.. what would be the best time ..

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Answered by HVK.
Offhand, I'd say use Sambalpur - NH42 - NH5 - NH60 - NH6 - NH2. But do enquire in Sambalpur.



Regards
Sutripta

Yes Sutripta, I am coming to the same conclusion. Will you be around during Oct - Nov time frame in Kol.. maybe we can catch up..

So the routes are not foreign to you.

Yes.. the roads are not completely unknown.. Did couple of trips Mangalore - Durgapur on RE while doing my Engineering, years back. This is atleast 10 - 11 years ago. However, I was not around when the robbery took place, it was due to rather a foolish decision taken by my Uncle, he decided to drive thru Lodhashuli Jungle at 8 PM without Police Escort, and was attacked. The means remains the same, either a fallen tree blocking the road, or a sharp upright spear covered by a rag in the roads, in my uncle case it was the later, the tyres burst.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Barely a hundred meter away is Hatibari village (in West Bengal). You may even ask the locals for Hatibari-Gopiballabhpur Road. The road is narrow but decent and maintaining 50-60 KMPH will not be difficult. Soon you will reach Gopiballabhpur. Please continue with this road and you will soon join NH 6. By this time you have also bypassed Chichra (JH-WB) border. This place is called Feko Ghat.

When I used to visit Simlipal/ Baripada quite often, I used to usually take the Fekoghat - Gopiballabhpur road. Avoided Chichira, Bohoragora and Jamsola. What more could one want! However, instead of coming out at Hatibari, used to take the road which went to Baripada. Used to go next to a small barrage, Deuli if I remember correctly.
However, for this thread, the main point is that Gopiballabhpur is also not considered 'safe'. Also Fekoghat used to have a big weekly market, (forgetting the day) when driving through it was not pleasant.

Originally Posted by xtremedeep

Yes Sutripta, I am coming to the same conclusion. Will you be around during Oct - Nov time frame in Kol.. maybe we can catch up..

Send me a PM

The means remains the same, either a fallen tree blocking the road, or a sharp upright spear covered by a rag in the roads, in my uncle case it was the later, the tyres burst.

Nails hammered through pieces of wood, painted black, and left on the road, business end up. Nowadays a new method is to put the nails in dried mud clods, which are then left on the road.

Regards
Sutripta

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

However, the main point is that Gopiballabhpur is also not considered 'safe'. Also Fekoghat used to have a big weekly market, (forgetting the day) when driving through it was not pleasant.

Sutriptada, although I last visited those areas about eight months ago, I think that the law and order situation has lately improved much. That is also the reason I advised to take this route only during the hours of the day. I also suggested this route because it saves a lot of KM between Sambalpur and Calcutta, considering both Sambalpur-Angul-Manguli or the Sambalpur-Pal Lahara-Talcher-Manguli routes. And as a veteran in these routes, I think you must admit that this road is more scenic and beautiful than the Cuttack route.