APPROVAL FOR NEW PHASES OF NHDP, PROPOSAL OF DEDICATED BODY ON ROAD SAFETY AND AMENDMENT IN THE MOTOR VEHICLE ACT MARK THE ACTIVITIES IN THE ROAD SECTOR DURING 2007

December 20, 2007

The Government’s approval for construction of Ring Roads/Bypasses etc. around the major cities across the country, upgradation of National Highways under NHDP Phase III A and III B, awarding of 18 contracts by NHAI under NHDP Phase III, IV and VI and approval of modified SARDP-NE programme for widening of NHs in NE States marked the major activities of the Department of Road Transport and Highways during the year 2007. The Department of Road Transport notified the rules for accreditation of bus body builders, Government approved the amendments in the Motor Vehicle Act and Sunder Committee recommended the creation of a dedication body on road safety and traffic management during the year.

ROAD SECTOR

– India has about 3.3 million kilometers road network, which is the second largest in the world. It includes National Highways, State Highways, Major District Roads and Rural Roads.

– National Highways (NHs) having length of 66590 km, constitute only 2 per cent of the total road network but share approximately 40 per cent of the total traffic on roads.

– Overall Achievements made by the Ministry through all agencies i.e. NHAI, State PWDs and BRO under different schemes of development of National Highways during the calendar year 2007 from January 2007 to October, 2007 are as under

Name of Scheme	Targets	Achievements
1) Widening to 4-lanes (km)	1649.35	1065.98
2) Strengthening of existing weak pavement (kms)	412.36	929.99
3) Widening to 2-lanes (km)	783.08	847.60
4) Improvement of riding quality (IRQP) (km)	1477.87	1525.55
5) Rehabilitations / Construction of Bridges ( No.)	97	97
6) Construction of Bypasses (No.)	8	2
7) Improvement of low grade sections (km)	20.85	41.47

National Highways Development Projects Phase I, II, III and V

The present status of NHDP I, II, III and V as on 30th November, 2007, is as under:

Golden Quadrilateral (GQ): Out of total Length of 5846 Km, four laning of 5629 km has been completed and the balance length is under implementation.

During the calendar year 128 km length has been completed.

North-South & East-West Corridors: Out of total length of 7300 km for four laning, 1559 km length has been completed and 4762 km length is under implementation. The remaining length is under various stages towards award of work.

During the calendar year 707 km length has been completed.

Port Connectivity Project & Other National Highways: Under Port Connectivity, out of 380 km, 163 Km has been completed and 211 km is under implementation. The work is yet to be awarded in remaining length. Out of 945 km of other National Highway, so far 337 km has been completed and four laning of 605 km is under implementation.

During the calendar year 28 km length has been completed for the Port Connectivity

National Highways Development Project Phase – III, V, VI & VII

Government has approved up gradation of 780 Km of National Highways under NHDP Phase-IIIA in Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs,6782 Crore in April 2007. With this approval, total length approved under Phase-IIIA is 4815 km at an estimated cost of Rs.33,069 crore.

Government has approved upgradation of 7294 km under NHDP Phase IIIB at an estimated cost of Rs.47557 crore in April 2007.

With approval of NHDP Phase-IIIB, total length for NHDP Phase-III is 12109 km at an estimated cost of Rs.80,626 crore. NHDP Phase-III is targeted for completion by December, 2013.

12 nos of contracts involving a length of 749 km under NHDP phase III have been awarded so far.

Government has approved construction of stand alone Ring Roads, Bypasses, Grade Separators, Flyovers, elevated roads, tunnels, road over bridges, underpasses, service roads, etc. on BOT (Toll) mode under NHDP Phase VII in December 2007 at an estimated cost of Rs.16680 crore.

In all 18 Nos. Contracts for the length of 928 km amounting to Rs. 6816 Crore were awarded by NHAI under NHDP Phase III,IV & VI.

Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North-East (SARDP-NE)

The modified SARDP-NE programme approved by Govt. on 1.10.2007 envisages widening of 3846 km of National Highways and improvement including widening/improvement of 4891 km of State roads. This will ensure the connectivity of remaining 58 district head quarters to the National Highways / State Roads in the 8 North-Eastern States.

Ministry has set up a High Powered Inter Ministerial Committee to approve and co-ordinate individual sub projects under SARDP-NE. Till date Committee has approved various sub projects covering 664 km length at an estimated cost of Rs. 1613 Crore under Phase “A” of the program.

Central Road Fund

Under the Central Road Fund Scheme, an amount of Rs. 12830 crore has been earmarked for all categories of roads (including share of Railways). Out of this, Rs.6541.06 crore have been allotted for National Highways, Rs.1565.32 crore for the State Roads, Rs.3825 crore for the Rural Roads and a sum of Rs.173.93 crore to be given as grants for development of Inter-State Connectivity and Economic Importance Roads. An amount of Rs. 724.69 Crore has been allotted to the Ministry of Railways for construction of Road Over Bridges/ Road Under Bridges and other safety works in unmanned level crossing.

During the calendar year 2007 till 30^th November 2007, 408 proposals amounting to Rs. 1263.09 Crore have been approved for improvement of State Roads under CRF.

Economic Importance & Inter-State connectivity (E&I and ISC)

In the current financial year 2007-2008 an allocation of funds of Rs 173.93 Crore has been made for E & I and ISC.

During the calendar year so far, 41 nos. (16 of EI and 25 ISC) proposals amounting to Rs. 347.79 Crore with a central share of 302.93 Crore have been given in-principle approval for improvement of State Roads under Economic Importance & Inter-state Connectivity Scheme.

Public Private Partnership

BOT (Toll) Based Projects: So far 82 (56 NHAI+ 26 MoSRTH) projects valued about Rs. 23104.31 Crore on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis (Toll based projects) have been awarded. Out of this, 32 (8 NHAI+ 24 MoSRTH) projects have been completed and 50 projects are under progress.

During the calendar year, 10 (NHAI) contracts for 698 km of length have been awarded on BOT (Toll) basis.

TRANSPORT SECTOR

Accreditation of bus body builders:

This Department has notified the rules for accreditation of bus body builders on 23.3.2007. As per these rules, the bus body builders in the country would be accredited through the system of Zonal and National Level Accreditation Board. It is expected that these rules would come into effect from 23^rd March 2008. This would bring uniformity in the bus body design and enhance safety and comfort to the passenger

Amendment in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988

The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 1^st March 2007 has approved the proposal of this Ministry to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to enhance penalties for various traffic offences, to delegate powers to the states , to make the transport authorities in the States more responsive and to rationalize various provisions in accordance with new/emerging requirements as well as compensation to road accident victims. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2007 has been introduced in Rajya Sabha on 15.5.2007 and the same has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture for examination and appropriate recommendation.

Creation of Dedicated body on Road Safety and Traffic Management

A committee under the chairmanship of Shri S.Sunder, Former Secretary erstwhile Ministry of Surface Transport was constituted on 23.11.2005 to deliberate and make recommendations for creation of dedicated body on Road Safety and Traffic Management. The Committee has submitted its report on 20.2.2007. The main recommendations of the Committee include creation of an apex body i.e. National Road Safety & Traffic Management Board at national level to promote road safety and improve traffic management in India, through an Act of the Parliament. In its advisory role, it has been proposed that the Board will advise Government on various road safety aspects. Creation of similar State level boards has also been suggested in the report. The Committee has suggested earmarking of minimum one per cent of total proceeds of cess on diesel and petrol for Road Safety Fund. A note for Committee of Secretaries for creation of a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board is being finalised.

Carriage by Road Act, 2007

The carriage by Road Act, 2007 been notified in the Gazette of India on 1^st October 2007 after obtaining presidential assent on the Carriage by Road Bill, 2007 passed by Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on 7.9.07 and 10.9.07 respectively.. The new Act would replace the Carriers’ Act, 1865 and would cater to the need of the modern day trade and transport by road. The new Act would help to make the transport system transparent and modernise the systems and procedures of the transportation trade through registration of common carrier. It also provides scope for apportionment of liability between the common carrier and the consignor.

National Road Safety Council:

10^th meeting of the National Road safety Council was held on 21^st April 2007 at Coimbatore As a follow up to this meeting, a high powered committee under the chairmanship of Transport Minister, Tamil Nadu has been set up to address the problems faced by the States in enforcement of the provisions relating to overloading, speed governors, speed fixing limit of motor vehicles, other road safety issues and to suggest proper mechanism to formulate an effective National Road safety Policy.

Road safety activities:

During the current year grants-in-aid have been sanctioned to 121 number of NGOs for carrying out road safety activities in the country.

Refresher training to about 60000 drivers of heavy commercial vehicles in the unorganized sector has been sanctioned during the year 2007-08

Source: pib.nic.in

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, CARE, CEN 278, Construction, Expressway, Highway, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NHAI, NHDP, Projects

A K Bhattacharya: India`s infrastructure puzzle

December 19, 2007

National highways in India have seen a dramatic improvement over the last decade. Improvements are more evident in shorter stretches. For instance, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Agra are now well-connected with Delhi. Similarly, the highway that connects Mumbai with Pune can easily compare with the best anywhere in the world. This is true of many other national highways connecting major cities in southern and eastern India.

Many of these roads can be used only on payment of toll charges. Going by the available statistics on toll collections, these roads have become the preferred option for motorists and even heavy vehicle drivers. In fact, the toll charges are quite low compared to the benefits they offer to the road users. There is a clear case for raising these toll charges so that the maintenance of the roads can be ensured without any funds constraint. Not surprisingly, the National Highway Authority of India is planning to build more such toll roads connecting different cities across the country.

Yet, better highways have not led to a reduction in the total travelling time. This is ironical. If you are travelling from Jaipur to Delhi, you will take at least 45 minutes to an hour to cover a distance of about 10 kilometres within the city before reaching the national highway. Once on the highway, the journey is smooth and fast with about 250 kilometres being covered in about three and a half hours. The problem starts again once you are about to enter the city of Delhi. And depending on your final destination point, this might mean an additional travel time of a couple of hours. It is the same story if you were to travel by road from Chandigarh to Delhi.

So, national highways have made driving easy once you get out of the city. But to reach a destination, you need to travel through the city. And the bottleneck is at the entry point of the city. Nothing much has been done in any of these cities to decongest the arterial access roads. The city of Delhi may have seen more flyovers in the last few years, but the impact has been marginal because the growth in the vehicular population in the city has also been phenomenal.

Airlines should have gained from this increasing vehicular congestion at the entry points of all cities. But pause for a moment to reflect on what is happening to airport congestions in almost all the major cities, you will notice a virtual re-run of what has already happened to Indian highways. The flying time between Delhi and Mumbai is only about an hour and a half. But the wait on the tarmac (in addition to the early check-in requirements because of security reasons) before the aircraft can take off is almost half an hour. There is another 30-45 minutes of hovering in the skies before the aircraft can actually land and you can be taken to the arrival terminal building. In effect, you end up waiting for almost the same time that you take to cover the actual distance. All this is due to airport congestion. Gone are the days when once you were airborne, you could confidently estimate the time by which you would be home. Consequently, there is little to choose between taking a Delhi-Chandigarh flight and travelling this sector by car.

In any other country, the railways should have benefited from this immensely. Since most railway stations are located in the heart of these cities, there is no long wait before one can reach the final point of destination. But the irony is that the Indian Railways has failed to take full advantage of this situation. The Shatabdi trains that run on these sectors could have easily become a preferred option for those who fly or travel by road on such sectors. But the quality of service and an erratic punctuality record are major problems for the Indian Railways.

Things might change though in the next couple of years. Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore would get new or completely refurbished airports with a capacity to handle more passengers without causing congestion and delays. There might be more expressways connecting more cities. Even the Indian Railways is planning to launch faster trains to connect different cities in all the regions.

But the worries might still remain. India’s infrastructure problems arise not just from its inability to create facilities with adequate capacity. Equally frustrating is the failure of most managers of these infrastructure projects to identify the last-mile problems and fix them before they become unmanageable. Even the country’s best-managed infrastructure project, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, is not free from this malaise. And the solution does not lie with these individual project managers. There is an urgent need for the civic authorities in each of these cities to move in tandem with the infrastructure project managers and create necessary facilities within the cities to resolve the last-mile problems and remove other bottlenecks so that the full benefits of these huge projects accrue to the people.

Source: business-standard.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Expressway, Gurgaon, Highway, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NCR, NHAI, NHDP, Projects

Feasibility study of 6-laning Pune-Satara Road begins

December 16, 2007

Pune, December 15 A Feasibility study of the six-laning of the 145-km Pune-Satara stretch has begun. The work for the same will begin in 15 months and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has appointed Consultancy Engineering Services (CES) for the feasibility study. The six laning of this stretch was proposed last year with traffic on the stretch increasing along with five others stretches in the state. Pune project director Prashant Kodaskar NHAI said that the project will be given for Designed Build Finance Operations (DBFO) and the outlay for the same has not yet been estimated and it will done after drawing tenders for the same.

While technical manager NHAI SD Chitnis, said that six lanes would increase the width of the road by atleast 10 metres. The present width is 25 metres and the six-laning would make it to 35 metres.

Plans are afoot to have service roads as well develop the junctions and also will have concrete structures.

“Sub-ways and overbridges will be part of the six laning and the feasibility study will help us on the same,” he said. The construction activity will start only in 2009 after reviewing the feasibility study.

Source: expressindia.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Construction, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NHAI, Projects

3 major roads in first phase

December 12, 2007

BHUBANESWAR: Three major roads will be taken up for development in the first year of the phase-1 programme under Orissa State Road Project (OSRP) with World Bank assistance.

The World Bank has agreed to provide funds for improvement of road infrastructure of about 1,400 km with an estimated cost of Rs 1,480 crore.

While the loan component is Rs 1,175 crore, matching fund from the State will be Rs 305 crore. The project will be implemented in five years.

In the first year, 204-km stretch of road will be taken up for improvement. The three road projects which will be developed include the 99-km Chandbali- Bhadrak-Anandpur road, 70-km stretch of Khariar-Bhawanipatna road and 41-km road from Berhampur to Taptapani.

The State has identified five major roads having a length of 835 km for development in the first phase. Detailed project report (DPR) and economic viability and feasibility study of the projects have been completed.

The 152-km road stretch of Jagatpur-Kendrapara- Chandbali-Bhadrak, 138-km Bhadrak-Anandpur- Karanjia-Tongabilla, 213-km Khariar-Bhawanipatna- Muniguda-Rayagada-Kereda, 202-km stretch Berhampur-JK Puri- Rayagada and 127-km Banarpal-Daspalla- Bhanjanagar-Aska road have been finalised for the first phase.

Reviewing the road projects at a high-level meeting here on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy asked the Revenue Department to issue instructions to the district collectors concerned for initiating measures for land acquisition.

The 204-km road stretch, that will be developed in the first year, is passing through 160 villages.

Since land acquisition is a timetaking process, the Chief Secretary said the district collectors concerned must ensure that the land owners are properly compensated and the projects are completed in time.

The Revenue Department informed the meeting that notification had been issued to the district collectors for land acquisition. Works Department, the nodal agency for the State Road Project, has planned to develop 294 km of roads in the second year.

The Department will submit the first three road projects to the World Bank for approval and sanction of loan, official sources said.

Source: newindpress.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Expressway, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NHAI, NHDP, Projects

Omaxe, GVK & NCCL applies for projects worth Rs 300 bn

December 8, 2007

Omaxe, through a consortium comprising of GVK Power & Infrastructure and Nagarjuna Construction (NCCL), submitted an application with department of infrastructure development, government of Uttar Pradesh in regard to development of 8-lane access controlled expressway project from Greater Noida to Ghazipur Ballia (Contract Package nos. 1,2,3,& 4) to be executed as BOT (Toll) project on DBFO Pattern under `Ganga Expressway Project` in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Brief details of the Ganga Expressway Project:

The 8-lane access controlled expressway would involve an estimated total construction cost of the order of Rs 300 billion and will cover a total of 1,047 kilometers. The project is proposed to be executed in special purpose vehicle (SPV) on design, build, finance and operate model by collection of toll in the concession period which is of 35 years and then transfer assets to government of state of Uttar Pradesh.

The construction of the project has been divided into four phases:

Greater Noida to Fatehgarh (Link-I) of total 253 kms with an indicative value of contract of Rs 76.31 billion.
Fatehgarh to Dalmau (Link-2) of total 305 kms with an indicative value of contract of Rs 80.12 billion.
Dalmau to Aurai (Link-3) of total 211 kms with an indicative value of contract of Rs 61.24 billion.
Aurai to Ballia of total 278 kms with an indicative value of contract of Rs 80.25 billion.

Shares of the company gained Rs 52.4, or 12.2%, to settle at Rs 482.05. The total volume of shares traded was 1,636,713 at the BSE. (Thursday)

Source: myiris.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NHAI, NHDP

Navayuga Engg bags Rs 710cr NHAI project

December 6, 2007

Hyderabad-based multi-disciplinary engineering and construction player, Navayuga Engineering Company, has bagged a Rs 710 crore project from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

The contract envisages designing, construction, financing and maintenance of an access-controlled highway project between the Bangalore and Nelamangala section on NH-4 on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis in Karnataka.

Debt syndication of Rs 540 crore has been done by
Bhubaneswar-based SRB Consultancy Private Limited from a consortium of banks.

The six-lane highway project, total length of which is 19.5 kilometres with elevated highway for 4.5 kilometres, terminates at Nelamangala. The scope of the work also includes underpasses and service roads for the entire length on both sides of the highway.

According to a company press release, revenues generated from the proposed tolling will accrue to an SPV (special purpose vehicle) formed for implementing the project.

The concession period of the project is 20 years, including the construction period of two years. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2009, it added.

Source: business-standard.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, Karnataka, NHAI

CRISIL assigned IPO Grade 3/5 to KNR Constructions

December 6, 2007

Leading credit rating agency, CRISIL assigned IPO Grade 3/5 (pronounced `three on five`) to the proposed initial public offer of KNR Constructions (KNRCL). The public issue of 7,874,570 equity shares of face value Rs 10 targeting an issue size in the range of Rs 1,500-Rs 1,750 million. This grade indicates that the fundamentals of the issue are average, in relation to other listed equity securities in India.

The grading reflects KNRCL`s strong track record of project execution in both roads construction and operations and maintenance (O&M). The company has executed many projects as part of the NHAI`s NHDP program and has had a 7-year relationship with Patel Engineering as a joint venture partner.

The KNR-Patel JV has won 10 road construction projects so far. These include two BOT annuity projects as a part of NHDP Phase II, the combined value of which is Rs 9.6 billion. As of September 2007, KNRCL`s order book stood at Rs 16.25 billion, of which the roads sector constituted 89%.

The grading is however constrained by the relatively underdeveloped state of the company`s operating system, which in turn, could constrain its ability to augment the size of its operations. The grading also reflects the uncertainties associated with company`s plans to diversify into the power generation and real estate sectors.

Source: myiris.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Default, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, IPO, NHDP, Projects

Govt approves Rs 16,680-cr NHDP Phase VII

December 6, 2007

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday approved development of road projects including construction of ring roads, bypasses and tunnels under Phase VII of National Highways Development Programme at a cost of Rs 16,680 crore.

“The Cabinet Comittee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for construction of ring roads, bypasses, graded intersections, flyovers, elevated roads, tunnels, road over-bridges, underpasses and service roads at a cost of Rs 16,680 core,” an official spokesperson said after the CECA meeting.

The total project would be executed on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

Of the total money, the government would fund Rs 6,302 crore and Rs 10,378 crore would be ensured through private sector participation, she said.

Under NHDP-VII, Rs 10,500 crore will be spent on constructions for 700 km of ring roads and bypasses and the remaining money would be utilised to construct grade separated intersections, road over-bridges, elevated roads, tunnels, underpasses and service roads, the spokesperson said.

These constructions will improve traffic safety and ensure faster movement of vehicles with improved riding quality time.

“This will lead to reduction in vehicle operating cost and significant reduction in fuel consumption for the vehicles resulting in energy conservation,” she said.

The works on stand-alone ring roads and bypasses are likely to be awarded by March 2011 and is to be completed by December 2014.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Expressway, Highway, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NHAI, NHDP, Projects

CONSTRUCTION OF STAND ALONE RING ROADS, BYPASSES, GRADE SEPARATORS, FLYOVER, ELEVATED ROADS, TUNNELS ETC. UNDER NATIONAL HIGHWAYS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PHASE VII

December 6, 2007

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave its approval for Construction of Ring Roads/Bypasses (including improvement of NH links in city), Grade Separated Intersections, Flyovers, Elevated roads, tunnels, Road Over Bridges, Underpasses and Service Roads at a cost of Rs.16,680 crore (Rs. 6,302 crore from Government + Rs.10,378 crore from Private Sector), on BOT (Toll) basis. Out of Rs.16,680 crore of NHDP Phase – VII, Rs.10,500 crore will be spent on constructions for 700 km of ring roads and bypasses. The remaining amount of Rs.6,180 crore on stand alone Grade Separated Intersections, Road Over Bridges, Elevated Roads, Tunnel, Underpasses and Service Roads.

Construction of ring roads, bypasses, grade separators, flyovers, Elevated roads, tunnels, Road Over Bridges, Underpasses, service roads, etc. will improve traffic safety and improve faster movement of vehicles with improved riding quality and time. This will lead to reduction in vehicle operating cost and significant reduction in fuel consumption for the vehicles resulting in energy conservation.

The works of stand alone ring roads & bypasses are likely to be awarded by March, 2011 and is likely to be completed by December, 2014.

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Expressway, Highway, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance, NHAI, NHDP

20 cos bid for longest expressway in India

December 6, 2007

The planned expressway will dwarf the 95km-long, six-laned, access controlled expressway connecting India’s financial capital Mumbai with Pune

Mumbai: Twenty firms have submitted initial bids for building India’s longest and biggest expressway project yet—a Rs40,000 crore, eight-laned, access controlled expressway linking Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) with Greater Noida—located on the border of the Capital, New Delhi.

The 1047 km-long road project dubbed Ganga Expressway will, when operational, cut travel time between the backward eastern part of Uttar Pradesh and the more prosperous western part of the state, by 16 hours from the current 24 hours.

For a traveller, it would take just about eight hours to zip from the holy city of Varanasi to New Delhi when the project is completed.

The planned expressway will dwarf the 95km-long, six-laned, access controlled expressway connecting India’s financial capital Mumbai with Pune and the under construction and controversy-ridden 111km-long expressway linking Bangalore with the garden city of Mysore.

The firms that have applied for pre-qualification include Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Reliance Energy Ltd, DLF Ltd, IL&FS Ltd, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd with Australia’s biggest investment bank Macquarie, GMR Group, the Omaxe Ltd-GVK Group-Nagarjuna Construction Co. Ltd consortium, the Bajaj Hindusthan Ltd-Apollo Group-D S Constructions Ltd consortium, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, Canadian firm SNC Lavalin with Progressive Constructions Ltd, Unitech Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd, Oman’s Gulfar Engineering & Contracting Llc., Zoom Developers Pvt. Ltd, Australia’s Leighton Group with Oriental Construction Co. Ltd, and PLUS Expressways Berhad, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s UEM Group, according to an official with the UP government overseeing the bidding process who did not wish to be named.

UP has taken inspiration for building the Ganga Expressway from legendary Afghan leader Sher Shah Suri, who built the Grand Trunk Road connecting Delhi with Kabul in the 16th century after temporarily displacing Humayun from the Mughal throne.

Suri’s road ran alongside the right bank of the Ganga; the new expressway will be built on the left bank of the river.

The eight-laned expressway will be constructed on an embankment to be built by the state’s irrigation department for controlling floods on the left bank of the Ganga.

The proposed expressway will start at Ballia-Gazipur and pass through Varanasi, Mirzapur, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli, Unnao, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Fatehgarh, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, Bulandshahr, Gautam Buddhanagar and terminate at Greater Noida.

The expressway project will make available around 5,000 acres of land for real estate development including residential and industrial units. This will make the project economically viable for the developers.

The work on the expressway project will begin next year.

Source: livemint.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under BOT, Construction, Default, Expressway, Highway, Infrastructure, Investment and Finance

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