Govt approves ₹1,995.04-cr for road infra in North East

The union minister of road transport and highways has approved ₹1, 995.04 crore for road infrastructure projects in the northeastern region of the country. Out of the total sanctioned funds, ₹1,000 crore will be invested in the construction of a four/six-lane road along National Highway 31 connecting the northwest and northeast ends of Siliguri. The stretch passing through Darjeeling More, the principal entry point of the city, is currently a two-lane congested highway.

The ministry has also sanctioned ₹995.04 crore for the construction of a four/six-lane road with service roads from Shivmandir, where the Asian Highway II connects NH 31, and up till Sevoke army cantonment. It is a 13km stretch that connects the Balason river bridge — from where the Asian Highway–II takes a southward turn — with the Sevoke military station and also the highway is strategically important for the country because it moves along the Siliguri corridor — the thinnest part of the Indian sub-continent — and closer to a number of prominent defence establishments, including the headquarters of Trishakti Corps in Sukna, the Indian Air Force Station at Bagdogra, the Sevoke Military station and the army camp at Bengdubi near Bagdogra.