Centre shifts 22 N-E roads to special programme

The Centre has agreed to transfer 22 roads of 1,119 kms from phase ‘B’ to phase ‘A’ of Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in North-East (SARDP-NE). The decision was arrived at a recent meeting of Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure.

The North-Eastern states had been requesting for long to transfer phase ‘B’ to phase ‘A’, particularly to provide two-lane connectivity to district headquarters. The issue had come up at the meeting of committee of secretaries in March 2009.

Sources informed that the Centre agreed to include additional 6 state roads to phase ‘A’ of SARDP-North-East. Thus improvement and construction of 28 roads would be under phase ‘A’ of funding.

The improvement and construction of roads would provide connectivity to 21 additional district headquarters. Some of the improved roads would facilitate mining of uranium in Meghalaya in future.

The target for completion of all the works is March 2014.

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure approved addition of one road from Shankshak to Tengnuopal on NH 39 to phase ‘B’ of SARDP-NE and to modify the scope of phase ‘B’ of SARDP-NE to cover preparation of detailed project reports for 35 roads of 3,723 kms in length.