Rs 7,457 crore approved for highway projects in 11 states

The government’s standing finance committee (SFC) has recently approved 16 highway projects worth Rs 7,456.88 crore for 622 km in 11 states. Of these, two projects will be built in the hybrid annuity model (HAM), 13 in the C model and one on the build, operate and transfer (BOT) mode. The projects approved are in Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim.    Reports say that two of the projects pertained to Char Dham Yatra connectivity in Uttarakhand on EPC mode. These include Rs 248 crore and Rs 200 crore projects for geometric improvement and widening of stretches on NH-58. The two projects to be built in the hybrid annuity model include Rs 905 crore and Rs 1,338 crore projects in Maharashtra for upgradation of NH-66 stretches under NHDP Phase-IV.   The BOT project pertained to four-laning of Haryana or Punjab border Jind section of NH-71 in the design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) mode. These approved projects include five projects under SARDP-NE for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim. As per reports, the projects will be bid out shortly while work on them will start after 90 per cent land is acquired.