The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has updated the standard-operating procedure (SOP) and format of proposals for national highway (NH) projects under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. The ministry or department will now have to explain how the project will contribute to multi-modal connectivity, and how it will connect manufacturing and economic zones to infrastructural connectivity. In an office memorandum, signed by Bidur Kant Jha, Director (New Technology for Highway Development), the ministry said for consultation of NH projects, certain specific details should also be shared that including: the types of commodity and estimated commodity quantity likely to be generated from economic nodes or zones or clusters; specific NH/road corridors to be used and their end destinations; analytical substantiation of reduced logistics cost with the project scenario; estimated traffic likely to be induced along with probable traffic distribution and its impact on NH corridors – both on the project corridor being discussed in the network planning group (NPG) and other adjacent NH corridors. “For the projects submitted subsequently by Ministries, the submission should include the advantages which the project will accrue to the industries and economic activities in the region. The Ministry/Dept should explain how the project will contribute to multi-modal connectivity, connect manufacturing and economic zones to infrastructural connectivity, etc. Compliance with the GatiShakti concept is critical, and accordingly, it is required to justify the GatiShakti concept fulfilment, the order, issued on December 23, reads. The details have to be covered in the project reports of the NH proposals from now on, the order said, adding that the detailed project report (DPR) consultants are requested to provide the details for the projects for which DPR is completed and will be presented to NPG for consultation. The order was marked to all the principal secretaries/secretaries, engineers-in-chief/ chief engineers of all states/UTs public works departments dealing with national highways, and other centrally sponsored schemes and state schemes. Also Read Former UPMRCL MD receives Lifetime Achievement Award Jaiprakash Associates defaults on 40590 million loans