IMPHAL, July 24 - Manipur State Public Works Department (PWD) officials are preparing a revised proposal for the construction of a Ring Road in Greater Imphal which is expected to ease the increasing traffic snarls.
The proposed Imphal Ring Road, which will be 39.48 km long with a width of 22 metres, is planned to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 560 crore. The project will be financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB) through its South Asia Sub Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Improvement Programme.
Imphal, the capital of Manipur, has one of the densest urban population (7,202 per sq km in 2011) in the North East. The State has the highest accident rate of 26.92 per lakh population in NE and 17th highest in the country, according to the reports. The Ring Road is planned to provide rapid and improved connectivity and also to reduce traffic congestion, sources said.
But the proposed project has been delayed following protests in connection with land acquisition process and other issues like resettlement and rehabilitation.
The project needs cost revision considering the requirement of an additional amount of Rs 360 crore-Rs 400 crore for land acquisition and compensation components as per latest surveys, said the Project Director Y Joykumar Singh of State PWD.
�We will be pursing the matter in the upcoming Tripartite Review meeting for consideration of the revised proposal,� the PWD official said. The meeting will be held in September next.
Meanwhile, PWD has also taken up construction of three roads under externally aided projects. These are 50 km Tupul-Bishnupur and 47 km Thoubal-Kasom-Khullen roads under North Eastern States Road Investment Programme and 103 km Imphal-Kangchup-Tamenglong road under SASEC Road Connectivity Improvement Programme with assistance from ADB.
