Bhubaneswar: The World Bank has lifted the suspension of its loan for the Odisha State Roads Project it imposed in May 2011. The decision to this effect has been conveyed by World Bank Acting Vice-President (South Asia Region) John H Stein in a letter to chief secretary Bijay Kuamar Patnaik. The bank had suspended further loans after certain irregularities were found in the execution of works under the project. It was found that the Project Implementation Unit (PMU) had settled work tenders for three different road projects, Bhawanipatna-Khariar, Brahmapur-Taptapani and Bhadrak-Chandbali, in favour of a single contractor. It had also come to light that work orders were issued without acquiring land and settling rehabilitation issues. Besides, utilities such as power and phone lines had not been shifted as required. With the lifting of the suspension of loan by the World Bank, the prestige of Odisha at the national and international levels has been restored. It has created a positive environment for investment opportunities in the state, a senior official said. The OSRP is a World Bank-funded scheme implemented under the aegis of the works department that aims at removing bottlenecks in transport corridors to facilitate greater investment and socioeconomic development in the state. The state government had entered into a loan agreement with the World Bank on January 27, 2009, under which it was to get a loan of $250 million. The two major components of the project involve widening, strengthening and selective realignment of 461 km of existing roads to double land standards and sector policy and institutional development implementation support.