SEVEN HIGHWAY STRETCHES
TO BE FOUR-LANED ON BOT BASIS
The Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways has identified seven National Highways
stretches to be taken up for four-laning on Build, Operate and
Transfer (BOT) basis during the current financial year. These
stretches are outside the ongoing National Highways Development
Project (NHDP). As announced in the Budget for the current year,
these stretches would be taken up under the High Density Corridor
Improvement Project under which 10,000 km. of high density corridors
that lie outside the NHDP are to be taken up for widening to four-lane
on BOT basis during the next five years.
Announcing this at
a Press Conference here today, the Union Minister of Road Transport
and Highways, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) B.C.Khanduri said that the new
stretches would be identified on the basis of traffic density,
connectivity of State Capitals with NHDP (as announced by the
Hon’ble Prime Minister on Independence Day 2003) and connectivity
of important centres of tourist and economic importance with NHDP.
The above mentioned
seven stretches cover a length of 622 km. in five States and would
be four-laned at an approximate cost of Rs.2,500 crore. The stretches
are : (i) 100 km. long Vadape-Gonde Section on NH-3 in Maharashtra,
(ii) 118 km. long Pimpalgaon-Dhule Section on NH-3 in Maharashtra,
(iii) 45 km. long Raipur-Aurang Section on NH-6 in Chattisgarh,
(iv) 57 km. long Bharatpur-Mahua Section on NH-11 in Rajasthan,
(v) 108 km. long Mahua-Jaipur Section on NH-11 in Rajasthan, (vi)
115 km. long Barhi-Ranchi Section on NH-33 in Jharkhand and (vii)
79 km. long Meerut-Muzaffarnagar Section on NH-58 in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking on the occasion,
Gen. Khanduri said that the Ministry has completed the empanelment
of BOT Entrepreneurs for four-laning of 10,000 km. under the High
Density Corridor Improvement Project. Out of a total number of
111 applications received, he said, 98 entrepreneurs have qualified
(14 on provisional basis) and 13 were disqualified. The sale of
documents would commence from September 29, 2003, the pre-bid
Conference would be held on October 27 and the last date for receipt
of bids would be November 27, 2003, he informed.
