East-West corridor to be substantially completed by 2009

New Delhi, Sep 11 (UNI) The 3,443 -km-long East-West Corridor, an important component of the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP), would be substantially completed by 2009, Road Transport and Highways Minister T R Baalu said today.

Mr Baalu said the East-West Corridor, which passes through Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, would lead to all round economic development of these states and open up new opportunities for the people residing there.

The minister was addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his ministry, convened to discuss the progress of work on the East-West Corridor.

Mr Baalu said the main problems affecting the progress of work on the corridor had been the delay in disbursement of compensation for land acquisition in Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

''There has also been some delay in Uttar Pradesh due to the condition stipulated by the state government for providing 10-metre-wide strip of land for afforestation before allowing tree-cutting,'' he said, adding that law and order in Assam had also affected the work in that state.

He, however, assured that all these issues were being pursued with the respective state governments to remove the obstacles and speed up the work.

Giving details about the progress of the East-West Corridor, he said that out of the total length of 3,443 kms, widening had already been completed for 765 kms and work was under way on 2,446 kms.

Mr Baalu said works for the remaining 232 kms were yet to be awarded. These include 201 km from Siliguri to West Bengal/Assam border on NH-31 in West Bengal, where the alignment has to be changed due to the Mahananda and Jaldapara Wild Life Sanctuaries and the Buxa Tiger Reserve.

''A revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the alternate alignment which avoids wild life sanctuaries altogether, is expected in two months and thereafter action would be initiated on these projects,'' he said.

Similarly, work on a length of 31 km in Assam between Udarband and Harangajo also could not be awarded because of the existence of Burail Wild Life Sanctuary in the region.

He said a revised DPR for alternate alignment in this section was also being prepared for this stretch.

The minister also informed that in the East-West Corridor, some major bridges like the second Brahamputra bridge near Saraighat in Guwahati, Kosi Bridge on NH-57 in Bihar and the cable-stayed bridge on Kota Bypass in Rajasthan were likely to be completed by 2010.

The members raised the issue of damaged roads due to recent floods in Bihar. The minister directed the NHAI and his ministry officials to immediately undertake a survey of the affected areas and expedite the restoration work.

UNI