East-West corridor ready by 2009

New Delhi: The East-West Corridor, passing through Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, is likely to be substantially completed by 2009, the Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu, said here on Tuesday.

Addressing members of the Parliamentary consultative committee attached to his Ministry, Mr. Baalu said the corridor, on completion, would throw open new opportunities for the people and lead to all-round economic development of these States.

The main problems affecting the corridor’s progress, he said, were the delay in disbursement of compensation for land acquisition in Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Some additional delay in U.P. was also due to the condition stipulated by the State government for providing a 10-m land strip for afforestation before allowing felling of trees.

In Assam, the law and order problems had also affected work to some extent. However, Mr. Baalu assured members that all these issues were being pursued with the respective State governments and efforts were being made to speed up work.

Giving details about the progress of work on the corridor, the Minister said that out of the total length of 3,443 km, widening had been completed in respect of 765 km and work was in progress on a stretch of 2,446 km while a length of 232 km was yet to be awarded. This included 201 km in West Bengal from Siliguri on NH-31 to the State’s border with Assam where the alignment had to be changed due to the Mahananda and Jaldapara wild life sanctuaries and a tiger reserve.

Mr. Baalu told members that the revised detailed project report on the alternative alignment to avoid wild life altogether, was expected in two months and thereafter, action would be initiated on these projects. Work on a length of 31 km in Assam between Udarband and Harangajo also could not be awarded due to the declaration of Burail as a wild life sanctuary.