Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003 |
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Logistics
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Roadways Widening work on NH-34 next month Our Bureau
KOLKATA, June 16 THE Government of India would soon take up the proposed 10-m widening project of the 367 km-long NH 34, which links Kolkata with Siliguri in North Bengal. Maj Gen (Retd) B.C. Khanduri, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, told presspersons here that work on the Rs 1,086-crore project would begin from July and is scheduled to be completed by 2007. Around 65 per cent of the project cost would be funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank. The balance would be put in by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The Minister said NH-34 would be linked to the East-West Corridor linking Silchar in Assam and Porbandar in Gujarat in the phase II of the National Highway Development Project, which was now under way. The Minister said that 80 per cent of the ADB loan burden would be shared by the Centre, while the State Government would take responsibility of servicing and repayment of the balance. He further informed that a project implementation unit with NHAI and State officials was in the process of being formed. The project would be implemented in three phases and certain stretches connecting State highways would also be developed under the scheme. He said West Bengal's track record for utilising Central funds for developing State highways and rural roads has not been very satisfactory. However, the State administration has, of late, woken up to the reality. The State Government recently accepted the proposal that fund flows for the rural and State highway projects could directly go to the State PWD from Central Road Fund, instead of coming via the Central pool. "This is expected to help in better utilisation and reduce delays in reaching funds to the projects," he observed. The Minister was in city for the "bhoomi pujan'' ceremony of the toll plaza for NH 41. The 52.20 km Kolaghat-Haldia section of the highway is being widened. The Rs 220-crore project is on a BOT basis, being handled by Calcutta-Haldia Port Road Company, an SPV floated by NHAI. An Indo-Chinese joint venture between China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Corporation and Harish Chandra (India) Ltd is executing the contract. The project is expected to be completed by March 2005.
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