The Road Construction Department is looking to add 5,000 km of road more in the State so that it can reach the average national road density of 182 km.
Jharkhand at present is languishing way behind at 122 kms of road density which defines the ratio of the length of the total road network in the respect of area.
The State has total length of roads ranging around 9,752 kms of which 1,232 kms are the State Highways, 4,846 kms of major district roads and 3,674 kms of other roads.
“The Department has been allocated budget of `4000 crore for the financial year 2016-17 of which `1527 crore or 38.18 per cent has been spent till June, 2016.
We have achieved 300 kms of road against the physical target 1,450 kms set for this fiscal. The progress would be maintained so that Jharkhand could catch-up with the national average road density,” said MR Meena, Secretary of the Department on Monday.
The achievement this fiscal has gone up from what was recorded during 2015-16. Only 18.95 per cent of progress was made spending `644.33 crore out of budgetary provision of `3400 crore till June, 2015.
The Secretary also informed about the ambitious six-lane expressway project connecting industrial and mining hubs Ranchi-Bokaro-Dhanbad. “Alignment has been finalised and topographic survey has been conducted.
Detailed land acquisition plan is being readied with. Similarly work is at advanced stage on establishment of industrial corridor connecting Ranchi-Dhanbad-Jamshedpur forming a six-lane Golden Triangle,” said Meena.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das in his budgetary speech had announced about the two corridors to be taken up on PPP mode. Including the two there are total 10 road projects being completed on PPP mode in the State in which troubled Ring Road at Ranchi also figures. While Section III, IV, V and VI having length of 36.2 kms is complete, work on 23.57 kms long Section VII is expected to complete soon.
“We have also got in principal approval from MoRTH for declaring 1,428 km State road as National Highways which would take up total length of NHs in the State from current 2,612 kms to over 4,000 kms.
Four-laning of 163.5 kms Ranchi-Rargaon-Mahulia of NH-33 costing `1479 crore is also in progress,” added the official. Four-lanning of NH-75 from Ranchi up to 261 kms is also underway.
The Department is also working on a ‘Coal Route’ from Barwadih-Tori-Dania which is 191 km in length. The road would be parallel to the rail line to carry the fossil fuel. DPR and land acquisition process is at advanced stage, said the Secretary.