Rs 2,130 crore road projects in Assam under SARDP

PTI

GUWAHATI : In a bid to boost infrastructure in North Eastern region, the government today approved three important highway projects in Assam entailing Rs 2,130 crore expenditure under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARDP). "The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for four-laning of Numaligarh to Jorhat, Jorhat to Demow and Demow to Bogibil sections of National Highway No 37 in Assam under SARDP Phase A," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters after the meeting. The cost of widening of 51 km Numaligarh to Jorhat section is estimated at Rs 644.60 crore while four-laning of 80 km stretch of Jorhat to Demow is estimated at Rs 963.21 crore, he said. The widening cost for 46 km stretch of Demow to Bogibil will be about Rs 522 crore, Tewari said adding, the project cost estimated for all these projects exclude the cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. 

All these projects would be implemented under SARDP in North Eastern region phase A on build, operate and transfer (BOT-Annuity) under design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) pattern, he said. On the Numaligarh to Jorhat project, an official statement said, that it will "expedite improvement of infrastructure in the State of Assam and also reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic, particularly heavy traffic, plying between Nagaon and Dibrugarh." Development of this stretch will also help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of this region in the state, it said, adding it will also increase employment potential for local labourers in project activities. On the Jorhat to Demow project, the statement said it is covered in the districts of Jorhat and Sivsagar and passes through the towns of Jorhat, Jhanji, Gorisagar, Sivsagar and Demow and will increase employment potential for local labourers in project activities. The Demow to Bogibil project will result in economic development of the region, it said.