Road Construction in North-East highways, which has practically been on a standstill for last five years may finally kickstart this month.
The Government’s new formed body to oversee and fund projects in the North-East India — the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation limited — is all set to dole out its first road project in Meghalaya later this month.The newly formed NHIDCl which has received the financial bid for the up-gradation of the 66 kilometre long 2-lane stretches from Nongstoin to Domiasiat via Wahkaji is all set to award the project.
“We have received the financial bid and the final paperwork is underway. The project is likely to be awarded this month,” said an official from the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
“The detailed project reports (DPR) of three other 2-laning projects in Meghalaya, totalling a length of over 240 km, are also ready. We are aiming at a deadline of December this year to awarding them after completing all formalities, including various stages of bidding,” said the official.
The official said that the detailed reports for upgrading of Nongstoin-Rambrai-Kyrshai road up to Meghalaya-Assam border were also in advance stages of formulation.The NDA Government had set up the NHIDCl primarily to fund and develop 10, 000 km of road projects in the country-particularly in the North-East.
The Government has also allocated Rs3,000 crore in the Union Budget 2014-15 for improving highways and State roads in the North-Eastern region.“The focus of this company will be to develop roads and other infrastructure of highest standard in the country with focus on the North-Eastern region and border areas,” said the official.
“The company is in talks with financial institutions from across borders to invest in infrastructure projects. The company will not only be instrumental in finding funding for the projects, but will also monitor its progress to ensure timely completions,” he said.The company is mandated to build 10,000 km of roads in the North-East (Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Arun-achal Pradesh) and Uttarakhand in the next five years.
Indian banks and independent investors have been shying away from parking money in the sector due to past experiences, where they lost a lot of capital due to delays in several clearances and troubles in land acquisition processes. Even this year, after several rounds of invitations by the National Highways Authority of India, only 3 of 12 highway projects spread across India found developers, forcing the NHAI to shift the deadline for awarding projects from September to January 2015.