The Centre would soon award contracts for three key road projects in Chhattisgarh measuring 149 kms to be developed at an estimated cost of Rs3,522 crores this year, officials stated.
Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has targeted to award 273 road projects in the country covering a length of approximately 12,900 km amounting to about Rs1,26,700 crore during 2015-16 under its various schemes.
The Central Government had also sanctioned an amount of Rs305.56 crore for 10 important works under Central Road Fund Scheme during 2015-16 in Chhattisgarh, officials stated.
These 10 works include construction of one road route, two Railway over-bridges and under-bridges, one fly-over and bridge. PWD Minister Rajesh Munat had stated that these works have been approved by Central government this year for ensuring smooth traffic movement in busy areas of the State.
He said that these 10 approved works include construction of flyover at NH-6 Canal Road in Kashiram Nagar in Raipur at the cost of Rs46.35 crore, construction of bridge on Hasdeo River at Champa-Korba-Katghora Road at the cost of Rs29.77 crore, and construction of bridges on Rajnandgaon-Kawardha Road at the cost of Rs13.70 crore and on Rajnandgaon Arjunda-Gunderdehi Road at the cost of Rs24.17 crore.
Munat informed that Rs14.40 crore has been sanctioned for construction of bridge on Durg-Dhamdha-Bemetara Road, Rs18.15 crore for construction of bridge on Pithora-Baghbahara-Komakhan-Chhura-Gariaband Road, Rs34.36 crore for repairing of 15.20-km-long Gaurela-Karangra Road.
likewise, Rs79.10 crore has been sanctioned for construction of Railway over-bridge near lokhandi Railway Crossing-B K-6 on Bilaspur-Katni Railway line, Rs35.40 crore for construction of railway under-bridge and over-bridge in Gogaon-Gudiyari Road, and Rs10. 18 crore for construction of bridge near DRM office at Raipur-Vishakhapatnam Railway line.
It may also be recalled that the newly established Regional Office of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra will oversee faster implementation of its projects in Chhattisgarh.
The Regional Office at Nagpur will also oversee faster implementation of road projects in parts of Maharashtra. A total of 19 Regional Offices have been set up by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in the entire country.
Notably, the Central Government has also recently approved a revised cost of Rs3045 crore under its Road Requirement Plan (RRP) for improvement of road connectivity in left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
Overall, the Centre has approved a Road Requirement Plan (RRP) for improvement of road connectivity in left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected areas of a total of 34 districts in 8 States covering 5477 km length (1126 km NHs & 4351 km State Roads). In Chhattisgarh, the fund had been approved for improvement of road connectivity in left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected areas measuring 2019 kms .
As per details of Physical Progress achieved as on March 1, 2015 under RRP, the length of road completed between 2010-11 to 2014-15 in the insurgency infested areas in Chhattisgarh upto February 28,2015 is 868 kms.
As per the State-wise details of fund allocated and expenditure incurred under lWE scheme, Chhattisgarh made expenditure of Rs190 crore between 2010-11 to 2014-15 upto February 28, 2015.
Notably, last year, the Central Government had simplified the procedure for offering general approval under Section-2 of Central Forest Conservation Act 1980, keeping in view the need of infrastructural development for public utility.
This implied that general approval for construction of roads on forest land in a total of ten left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected districts of Chhattisgarh will now be granted easily, official informed here.
As per the simplified procedure, the general approval for construction of two-lane highways on forest land will be given by State Government itself.
In this context, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had issued a circular to Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of all the departments and also to the Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors.
According to officials, simplification of clearance procedure will largely benefit the areas of 10 lWE affected districts of the State, by expediting construction of roads in Chhattisgarh and connecting it to mainstream development.
The 10 lWE affected districts include Bastar (Jagdalpur), Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Narayanpur, Jashpur, Kabeerdham (Kawardha), Rajnandgaon, Koriya and Surguja. This simplified procedure will also be applicable in the new districts, which have been formed by reorganizing the aforementioned old districts.
It is noteworthy that Chief Minister Raman Singh, in his meeting with Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment Prakash Javdekar in New Delhi on June 10, 2014, had made the Centre aware of the complications arising in procedure of forest and environment clearances, officials stated.
In the circular, the Chief Secretary has directed all the Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors that with effect of the rules relaxed by the Central Government, implementation of two-lane highway projects of Integrated Action Plan (IAP) and other schemes in aforementioned districts should be expedited.