Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 14: In a major infrastructure boost, the Centre has approved road projects worth over Rs 11,000 crore spanning Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana, according to official statements.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Friday cleared the rehabilitation and upgradation of the Ghoti–Trimbak (Mokhada)–Jawhar–Manor–Palghar stretch of NH-160A in Maharashtra at a total capital cost of Rs 3,320.38 crore.
The region west of Nashik, especially around Ambad and Satpur, houses a dense cluster of industrial units developed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, generating substantial freight traffic, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said in a statement on Saturday.
MoRTH said the CCEA approved the rehabilitation and upgradation of the 154.635-km section of NH-160A in Maharashtra under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.
The project has been conceived in line with PM GatiShakti principles and will link six PM GatiShakti Economic Nodes, one Social Node and eight Logistics Nodes in Maharashtra. This, the ministry said, will positively impact the country’s Logistic Performance Index (LPI).
In a separate release, MoRTH said the CCEA also approved construction of four-lane sections of Dhamasiya–Bitada/Movi and Nasarpore–Malotha in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 4,583.64 crore.
The 107.67-km-long project forms part of NH-56, which originates at Nimbahera in Rajasthan and passes through Dahod district in Gujarat and Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh before re-entering Gujarat near Chhota Udepur district and terminating at its junction with NH-48 near Vapi.
Designed for a speed of 100 km/h, the project will enable an average speed of 70 km/h and is expected to cut travel time by 40 per cent — from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours.
The CCEA has also approved the widening of National Highway-167 in Telangana at a total capital cost of Rs 3,175.08 crore, MoRTH said in another release.
The 80.01-km project from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar on the Hyderabad–Panaji Economic Corridor will be upgraded to four-lane standards in Telangana. It will be executed in Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) under the NH(O) scheme (National Highways (Original)).
To address existing traffic and connectivity challenges, the project has been proposed as a four-lane corridor and is expected to provide significant benefits to Narayanpet and Mahabubnagar districts in Telangana, the ministry said.