Cabinet approves 1120 km of National Highways in 5 states

August 30, 2016

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved development of 1,120 km of National Highways in the five states of Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan and West Bengal. The revised cost is estimated at Rs 6,461 crore including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities, according to an official statement.

CCEA said while the proposal was initially approved for Rs 5,193 crore, the cost has increased due to higher bid prices and increase in cost of land acquisition, resettlement, rehabilitation and the pre-construction activities. The projects are already taken up for implementation and 429 km has been completed. The civil works are expected to be completed by July, 2019 and maintenance works are expected to be completed by July, 2024.

The work for development to two-lane standards are under Phase-I of the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP) with World Bank assistance. “The project will ensure safe, fast and all-weather movement of traffic on the proposed national highways mostly located in backward regions, thereby improving socio-economic development,” the statement said.