JORHAT, May 1 � Inaugurating 10 mega highway projects � to cost Rs 5,320 crore � for the State here today, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Jairam Gadkari said his ministry would spend an additional amount of Rs 2,370 crore within this financial year for construction of different roads to improve the road network in the State.
The inaugurated projects include 232.3 km of seven four-laning highways on the national highways 37, 37A, 52 and 52A, and three two-laning highways on national highways 53, 38 and 37 with a length of 48.7 km.
The four-laning of new projects (which were divided into four sections) on NH-37 will cover a distance of 121 km from Numaligarh in Golaghat district to Demow in Sivasagar district, while the project on NH-37A will cover 17.3 km between Kaliabor Tiniali in Nagaon district and Dolabari in Sonitpur district.
On NH-52 and NH-52A, the newly started projects of four-laning will cover 93.5 km from Jamugurihat in Sonitpur district to Holongi.
While a two-laning project will be constructed on NH-37 in Dibrugarh as Dibrugarh bypass (covering a distance of 15.4 km), another two projects of the same category will be implemented as Digboi bypass (29.3km) on NH-38 and Silchar-Badarpur highway (4.0km).
�During this year we will spend a total amount of Rs 8,000 crore to improve the road transport condition in the State. I request the Chief Minister to take proper initiatives for land acquisition and environmental clearances so that every project can be completed within the stipulated period,� Gadkari said at the inaugural function held at the Western Jorhat Sports Association playground.
The Union Minister also said that his ministry has included 14 rivers of the State including Brahmaputra, Dikhow, Barak, Sowansiri, Dihing, Pagladia, Kopili, Aie and Beki Doyang for national waterway projects.
As the transportation cost in waterways is considered to be the cheapest, the Union government stresses improvement of the waterways of the State and has therefore included 14 rivers along with the total 101 rivers of the country to start communication in 14,000 km of waterways in the country.
Expressing concern over the allotment of construction works to contractors from other states, Gadkari invited contractors of the North-east to attend a workshop in Guwahati where they would be trained for capacity building.
Participating in the function, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi thanked Gadkari for the mega allotment to the State which he said, would help in the growth of the State as well as other parts of the region.
State PWD Minister Ajanta Neog also thanked the Union Minister for launching the highway projects.
Attending the inaugural session, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said Gadkari would also inaugurate some other roads in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya with costs of Rs 13,000 crore and Rs 6,000 crore respectively.
Union Minister of Sports and Welfare Sarbananda Sonowal applauded the initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the people of the North-east.
�I and Sarbananda Sonowal will work immensely for the people of our region by maintaining links of the region with our Central government,� Rijiju said.
The inaugural meeting was attended by BJP MPs Ram Prasad Sarma, Kamakhya Tasa, Rajen Gohain and Rameswar Teli, and MLAs Prasanta Phukan, Arun Phukan and Aarati Hazarika Kachari, Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Solanki Vishal Vasant and several senior officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
