Japanese firm to help build roads in state

New Delhi, February 11

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) today said it would provide technical assistance to the Central government for the development of national highways in mountainous regions such as Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

“The JICA has signed a technical cooperation agreement with the Central government for ‘capacity development project on highways in the mountainous regions,” it stated in a statement.

The project will provide for strengthening of institutional capacity of organisations engaged in the development of road networks in mountain terrain such as the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highway Auhtority of India (NHAI), NHIDCL and state Public Works Departments.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has assigned high priority to the development of national highways in the mountainous regions to enhance local connectivity, especially in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast region.

“The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is keen to adopt new technologies related to tunnels, bridges and slope stabilisation and enhance its capacities for disaster-resistant planning, cost-effective construction technologies and safety management in mountainous highways,” the statement said.

Under the JICA’s cooperation, technical guidelines would be prepared for design, development and management of road networks in the mountainous regions, including for tunnels, high-pier bridges, earthworks, slope protection and waterways for the drainage.

The JICA would dispatch experts on highway engineering and management and conduct technical training programmes for Indian engineers and technical personnel in partnership with the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers to enhance capacity of government in planning, construction and management of highways in the mountainous regions.

The agency has been continuously cooperating with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and other agencies in their HR development and improvement and construction of highways since early 1990s when it started dispatching Japanese experts to those organisations, it said. — PTI