Punj Lloyd bags Rs 666-cr highway contract to link 32 nations

Length of the project in India is 11,458 km, is set to be completed in 30 months

Punj Lloyd today announced securing a Rs 666-crore contract for the 90.58 km Asian Highway project from the Ministry of Road Transport.

This is a cooperative project for improving transport facilities in 32 Asian nations and providing road links to Europe, Punj Lloyd said in a statement.

"We are proud to be a partner in this cooperative project. Besides creating high quality infrastructure, this development will reduce travel time and more importantly improve safety levels for travellers as it will be built to world-class specification," J P Chalasani, MD and CEO, said.

The scope of work includes rehabilitation and upgrading of Bhutan border at Pasakha to Bangladesh border at Changrabandha comprising Jaigaon, Hasimara, Dhupguri section and Mainaguri-Changrabandha section, the statement said.

This contract includes the proposed Pasakha access road of length 6.55 km, bypass to Jaigaon and Hasimara in West Bengal, it added.

The Asian Highway Network is a part of the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project being supported by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Also known as the Great Asian Highway, the network has eight routes in India including AH 48, funded by the Asian Development Bank.

The total length of the Asian Highways in India is about 11,458 km, of which 11,432 km are National Highways and 26 km of state roads.

The project is scheduled for completion in 30 months.

The access road at Pasakha, an industrial area in Bhutan, will encourage trade and tourism between the countries - India and Bhutan while the Hasimara bypass will decrease the congestion in the city, the statement added.