Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari reviewed the progress of as many as 57 ongoing highway projects, including the Jorhat-Dibrugarh stretch in Assam.
At the review meeting in New Delhi, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, NHIDCL (National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.), and contractors were present.
Gadkari instructed NHIDCL officials to expedite the completion of the remaining work of four-laning from Jorhat to Jhanji and Jhanji to Demow. He also asked the officials to put up road signage at proper places to prevent road mishaps on the vital portion of the national highway. The Chief Minister requested Gadkari to depute a minister of state to inspect the ongoing works for four-laning of NH-37 from Jorhat to Disbrugarh.
The Chief Minister also urged Gadkari to see that the existing roads are kept in good shape by NHIDCL and NHAI during construction of national highways to prevent accidents. Gadkari asked the senior officials to blacklist contractors who did not adhere to the provision of keeping the existing roads in good condition by way of imposing default liability.
The Chief Minister said that Assam had laid stress on early completion of the NH stretch from Jorhat to Dibrugarh. “We urged the Union minister to hold regular meetings to review the progress of national highway projects,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said Gadkari had informed him that alignment of the Rs 5,500 crore elevated corridor of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) would be placed before the Cabinet for the final approval.
At the review meeting, Gadkari called for completion of the 28 ongoing projects that are running on schedule and for expediting the completion of 11 delayed projects under NHIDCL in Assam.
On Chief Minister’s plea, Union Minister Gadkari asked the officials to complete the process for awarding the contract for the 121-km Guwahati Ring Road at an estimated cost of Rs. 5,729 crore by November end, to submit DPR for the elevated corridor of over 85-km length over Kaziranga National Park at a cost of Rs. 5,500 crore and re-tendering of Majuli bridge over the Brahmaputra.
Chief Minister Sarma also urged Union Minister Gadkari to hasten the process for the Gohpur-Numaligarh tunnel construction, Majuli bridge connecting Kamalabari and Nimatighat over the Brahmaputra, four-laning of Baihata Chariali to Tezpur highway stretch, and construction of Mangaldoi bypass on NH 15. The Union Minister also reviewed the status of ongoing four projects that are on schedule and four projects with one-year delay under State PWD and MoRTH.
The Chief Minister further requested Gadkari to formulate a different work schedule for civil works in Assam in particular and the North East Region as a whole, keeping in view the monsoon season from April to October. Taking into account the Chief Minister’s suggestion, Gadkari directed the senior functionaries of the Central road agencies to work on it.
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is organising the two-day review meeting of national highway projects that got underway on Monday with all the states of the North Eastern Region.
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