Expedite land acquisition for road works, CM tells NHAI

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 8

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today directed officers of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the process of land acquisition so that the work on major road projects being executed by them could be started soon.

Thakur presided over a meeting on land acquisition for national highways with senior officers of the government and the NHAI. He directed the NHAI officers to set deadlines for the completion of projects being executed by them and work with greater zeal to meet the deadlines.

PM to be requested to lay stone

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presided over a meeting with with senior officers of the government and the NHAI
• He said the government was planning to request the PM to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of a few NHAI projects around June

He said that the government was planning to request the Prime Minister to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of a few NHAI projects around June this year. He also directed the NHAI officers to ensure proper maintenance of national highways and four-lane projects being executed in the state so that commuters do not face inconvenience.

Thakur said that at present, Himachal has about 40,000 km roads, but being a hilly state a lot more needs to be done. He added that his government had connected 321 villages with roads as compared to 261 villages by the previous Congress Government.

He said that roads were the only mode of transportation in the state and good roads were also important for tourism promotion. He directed the NHAI officers to complete the 85-km Hanogi-Kullu-Manali road being constructed at a cost of Rs 4,540 crore by the end of July to give a boost to tourism development in the area.

The Chief Minister said that at present the NHAI was executing the projects of the 104-km Parwanoo-Solan-Kaithlighat-Shimla bypass, 226-km Kiratpur-Nerchowk-Mandi-Kullu-Manali road, 223-km Shimla-Bilaspur-Hamirpur-Mataur road and 17-km Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh road. He directed the NHAI officers to ensure that these projects were completed by the deadlines. These projects would save 131 km of travel and 11 hours of travelling time.