Fresh effort for expansion of NH 34 and bypass on Jessore road

Barasat, June 25 (UNI) West Bengal Public Works Deprtment minister Kshiti Goswami said the decks have been cleared for renewal of survey of proposed 51 kilometer bypass on Jessore road and expansion of 300 kilometres of NH 34 following a meeting of different political parties here today.

Mr Goswami said that most of the party leaders have consented on the resumption of survey work for the proposed construction of roads by the National Highway Authorities. They decided to reqeust the administration to prepare an ''Approach Paper'' of the project for the knowledge of various political parties within a fortnight.

Survey works for both the projects were stalled by at least three years due to litigations against the acquiring of lands at different places in North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad districts.

Mr Goswami had convened the meeting of the political parties after a series of conferences at the administrative level as advised by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Incidentally, SUCI general secretary of North 24-Parganas Shankar Ghosh, who attended the meeting, opposed the decision of undertaking the survey before an official announcement of compensation package for probable landlosers.

The National Highway Authorities had undertaken expansion of 40 to 60 meters from the existing 35 meters width of NH 34 along the 337 kilometers stretch of the 452.7 kilometers road between Santoshpur in North 24 Parganas and Dalkhola in North Dinajpur, of which survey of 80 per cent had been completed, NHA's project director A Chowdhury said. He said the survey on about 12 kilometers of the proposed bypass of the NH 35 was yet to be completed.

Trinamool Congress leader Jyotipriya Mallick, who attended the meeting, said he rejected the resumption of the survey until the administration issued the Approach Paper of the project, which would be examined by his party leaders.

Former PWD minister Amar Chowdhury, Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipatis and the District Magistrates of North 24 Parganas and Nadia were among others attended the meeting.

PWD minister Kshiti Goswami said that more such meetings would be convened to elicit opinions about an early solution.

The projects for expansion of NH 34 to A4-lane highway was taken up a decade ago with the help Asian Development Bank loans.

UNI