16 new highways to link state capitals

 A total of 2,768 km highway sections would be taken up for four-laning and upgradation under the project and work is expected to commence before March 2004, the government officials involved in the exercise said.

 The projects would be taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as part of the four-laning and upgradation of the 10,000 km of highways proposed beyond the ambit of the ongoing NHDP.

 The inclusion of connectivity of state capitals to the NHDP section through 4-lane highways was announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as part of his Independence Day address.

 

 Under the project, all state capitals that are away from NHDP sections would be linked to the upgraded highways by four-lane roads.

 The projects would be executed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, officials said.

 Of the 16 state capitals identified, 6 north-eastern states have been included in the project and the capitals of Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura would be connected to the nearest NHDP sections.