Himachal highways work hit as Chinese leave

Building of two major roads in Himachal Pradesh has come to a halt after the Centre imposed new visa restrictions for foreigners working in India. All the 96 workers of Lonjian Road and Bridge Ltd, a Chinese company, have returned to China after the Indian government recently asked all foreigners working in India to apply for work visas instead of business visas, sources said.

Lonjian has been awarded two major road construction projects in the hill state. According to sources, the company is already behind schedule by several months on both projects and the work will now be further delayed.

 

Officials say the Chinese company could further sub- contract the work to Indians as there is such provision in the agreement signed with the company.

Barely 10 per cent of the work has been completed so far on the much- talked 80 km Theog-Hatkoti double lane road passing through the apple heartland in Shimla district.

“The road is in complete mess and has been converted into a virtual dustbowl in this dry season,” said Sanjay Chauhan, a prominent farmers’ leader.

The Theog-Hatkoti and Mehatpur-Una-Amb construction projects were awarded in June 2008 to the Chinese company after global tenders were floated.The projects were to be completed by early 2011.

“So far only Rs 20 crore has been spent and there is no way the work can be completed on time,” said a state government official on condition of anonymity.

If the state government wished to cancel the project, it would have to seek the approval of the World Bank as both these projects were cleared by the Bank, official sources said.