The National Highways linking capitals of all the North-Eastern States would be widened to make them four-lane ones by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry. This would be done under the National Highway Development Project Phase II which envisaged four-laning of the existing 1246 km long stretches of NH on build, operate and transfer basis, Union Development of North Eastern Region Minister P R Kyndiah revealed. He said the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) of 1036 km were in progress and for the remaining 210 km, bids for DPR were under evaluation, Kyndiah said after chairing a review meeting with senior officials of the road transport, DONER ministries besides the North Eastern Council (NEC) and Meghalaya government officials. Chief Minister D D Lapang was also present.

Kyndiah, also the NEC chairman, said the road transport ministry has also taken up special accelerated road development project (SARDP) in the North East to connect all state capitals with improved/upgraded NHs. To provide connectivity to all the 85 district headquarters of the region, improve connectivity to the neighbouring countries and better some important roads of strategic importance also fell under the SARDP, he said.

Since assuming power two years back, Kyndiah said, the UPA government put thrust on road link in the North-East besides waterways and airways. Elaborating on the SARDP, Kyndiah said it would be implemented in two phases with the first one covering 17 roads having 1310 km length. It was approved at the cost of Rs 4618 crore on rough cost estimate basis.

Construction of new Shillong bye-pass connecting the NH 40 at the cost of Rs 300 crore and length of 50 km included in this phase, Kyndiah, the Lok Sabha MP from Shillong, said.

Four-laning of the existing two-lane 62 km road stretch from Jorabat to Barapani on NH 40 at the cost of Rs 372 crore also fell in this phase, he said adding the DPR of the bypass project, hanging in the balance for long, would be available by the end of next month and work likely to be over by 2008. Once completed, it would ‘decongest’ Shillong town.

The second phase of SARDP included 83 roads with an aggregate length of 6306 km. Approval to undertake DPR preparation was given by the government.

Speaking on the East-West Corridor connecting Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar the Union Minister said out of it 3300 km, 678 km were in the North East.

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