IMPHAL, Feb 22 � Manipur Government has started groundwork for construction of the proposed ring road in Greater Imphal.
Imphal, the capital of Manipur, which has one of the densest urban population (7,202 per sq km in 2011) in the North East, is rapidly growing and bustling with 2,26,913 vehicles as per a 2013-14 study.
�Delays on roads due to traffic jams and gridlocks at intersections average 15 to 30 minutes for a 5-10 minute journey within the city,� says Principal Secretary Agriculture & Command Area Development Authority Ram Muivah. Analysis of the road accidents shows that almost 36 per cent of the State�s total road accidents occur in Imphal.
Manipur has the highest accident rate of 26.92 accidents per lakh population in NE and 17th highest in the country, Ram Muivah said. During January-June 2014, there were 220 accidents in which 97 persons lost their lives, according to official sources.
Thus the move to develop the Imphal Ring Road was initiated as a mitigating solution for road safety in the State capital besides providing rapid and improved connectivity and also to reduce traffic congestion, he added.
The proposed Imphal Ring Road, which will be 39.48 km long with a width of 22 metres, is planned to be constructed within five years at an estimated cost of Rs 346 crore.
The project is financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and pursued under the North East State Roads Investment Programme through its South Asia Sub Regional Economic Cooperation Regional Road Connectivity Project.
Sources here said a survey for resettlement and rehabilitation of areas likely to be affected by the project has been initiated. After the resettlement and rehabilitation survey is completed, the DCs concerned would initiate due process for land acquisition under Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act 2013.
But the project has evoked protests from sections of the public affected by the project while villagers of Kasom Khullen have reportedly filed a case in the court.
