DBL-HCC in JV wins ₹1,900-cr road contract

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), in a joint venture with Dilip Buildcon (DBL), has been awarded a ₹1,900 crore contract by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for design and construction of a 22-km long road to link Jharkhand with Bihar. The contract includes the construction of a four-lane bridge over the Ganga River. The road will connect Sahibganj bypass in Jharkhand to Manihari bypass in Bihar. Arjun Dhawan, Group Chief Executive Officer informed that HCC commands a share of 26% amounting to ₹494 crore and the company is proud to work on this project that will improve infrastructure in Bihar and Jharkhand enabling the states to enjoy long-term benefits thereby improving the socio-economic conditions of the region. Scope of work envisages the construction of 15.885 km new link (NH-133B) including 6 km long Ganga Bridge to 4 lane, construction of 6 km Manihari Bypass to 4 lanes and widening of NH-131A ending near Narenpur to 4 lanes in Bihar. HCC's association with Bihar dates to the early sixties when it built India's first road-cum-rail bridge, Rajendra Setu, across river Ganga at Mokameh. The company has built several railway bridges for Eastern Railway and North Frontier Railways. The Indrapuri Barrage built across river Sone in Rohtas District in 1966 was the fourth-longest barrage (1,409 M) in the world. For the NHAI, HCC has built the Grand Trunk Road Improvement Project in 2007. Recent projects completed in Bihar are rail-cum-road bridge across river Ganga at Munger and Sone Bridge on the outskirts of Patna.