NEW DELHI, June 26 � With the Centre planning to invest heavily on development of the road infrastructure in the North-east, lack of latest road building technology and modern equipment are proving to be major challenges prompting the Union government to organise a first of its kind workshop in Assam for all stakeholders, including Chief Ministers of the North-east, later this month.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will be reaching Guwahati on June 30 to inaugurate the conference titled �Key Challenges in Highways and Infrastructure Construction in the North-Eastern Region and Use of Innovative Technologies and Materials� on June 30. The two-day conference will be attended by the Chief Ministers, PWD Ministers and other key officials from various NE States.
Official sources said that the main objective of the conference will be to build the capacity of local contractors, engineers and other stakeholders for participation in construction of highways and infrastructure in the region. The involvement of local stakeholders in construction of highways and infrastructure would result in inclusive development of the region by providing new employment opportunities and avenues.
The conference will also discuss various process and procedure reforms that can be brought into the system to remove the obstacles to increase the pace of infrastructure development and most importantly result in �ease of doing business�, said sources.
The obvious reference is to the menace of extortions and threats by the militant outfits to contractors, which has emerged as a major impediment for the authorities in getting reputed contractors from outside the region.
The conference will also focus on challenges in bridge and tunnel construction, besides deliberating on the use of Nano technologies and their effective use in NE region. The conference will also aim to address various road safety and environmental issues with a special focus on slope stabilization and environmental friendly slope protection techniques, said sources.
