NHAI targets ₹25,000-cr NH projects in Bengal

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has aimed to award contracts worth ₹25,000 crore for 270 km road projects in West Bengal during the current fiscal. In a bid to cut congestion from Vidyasagar Setu in the state, it has decided to construct a 6.5- km six-lane elevated road on the existing four-lane Kona Expressway costing ₹2,000 crore and will float a tender for the project shortly. The road building agency also planned to award a contract worth ₹12,000 crore for the 245-km Kharagpur-Burdwan-Morgram stretch connecting two growth centres and ending vehicular inflow coming to Kolkata from Kharagpur for their onward journey to Siliguri via NH 34. So far in West Bengal. The construction of a total of 1,201 km road network has been completed by NHAI and currently the construction work for 356 km of projects costing ₹13,570 crore is in full swing. In fact, the agency also planning to award 270-km of projects in 2022-23, which will not only improve connectivity within the state but also boost its economy, Chairperson, NHAI, Alka Upadhyaya said, elaborating that NHAI is not only constructing roads of global standards but also taking a keen interest in building accident-free national highways. This is its major focus and undertaking third party road safety audits, the Chairperson added.