BRO to double Gangtok-Nathu la road by 2009

Gangtok, May 6: As the Nathu La border trade resumes for the second year, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) today announced to double the Gangtok-Nathu La raod by March 2009.

About Rs 780 crores had been earmarked for the project, an increase of Rs 480 crores compared to the earlier sanctioned money, Chief Engineer of Project Dantak, Brigadier M.S.Pillai, said today.

''The completion of our project will coincide with the deadline of the similar road expansion project of the Chinese government for the border trade,'' he added.

Mr Pillai also informed that the Nathu La road upgradation project had been segregated in four phases.

In phase one, a total road stretch of 27.2 kms would be upgraded from Mile 17 to Sherathang Trade Mart. In phase two, the 5.6 km road stretch from Sherathang to Nathu La border and the 9.9 km road stretch from the starting point of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg upto Mile 5 as phase three would be undertaken.

A sum of Rs 446 crore had been tentatively estimated for the fourth phase from Mile 5 to Mile 27 near Kyangnosla falls that will include three state of the art tunnels and 11 via-ducts, Mr Pillai said.

The fourth phase of tunnels and via-ducts was scheduled to be completed by 2011 while the double laning of the Gangtok-Nathu La road would be completed by 2009, the chief engineer said, adding that work had already started for the first phase.

UNI