Highway projects

NewDelhi,June24:Theroad ministry on Friday cleared eighthighwayprojectshaving a cumulative length of 409 km to be built at a total cost of R6,000 crore. These projects, spreadacrossfivestates—Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim and Assam — would be awarded in the current fiscal.

According to an official statement, half of the proposed 8 projects cleared would bedevelopedthroughthenewly-coinedhybridannuitymodel, in which the government would pay 40% of the project cost in phases. Two projects would be developed through the EPC model.

Sources said these projects would be developed over a period of two to two and a half years from the awarding date to the successful bidders.

Maharashtra, the home state of the road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadakri, has got the lion's share of the projects approved havingatotallengthof 275km. The total cost of development of these projects would be R4,876crore,accordingtoanofficial release.

The road ministry would not require to get the Cabinet approval to award these projects since the civil cost in any of them does not exceed R1,000 crore. The ministry targets to award 25,000 km highways for development this fiscal as against10,000kminthelastfiscal. The construction target has been set at 15,000 km in 2016-17asagainst6,000kmconstructed in the last fiscal.