Phase V of NHDP takes off

The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has kickstarted the Rs 41,000 crore phase V of the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP).

It recently approved five stretches falling under the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) for six-laning. Phase V of NHDP envisages six laning of 6,500 km of already four-laned national highways.

The stretches that have been approved by the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) of the ministry, are Surat-Dahisar 239 km stretch on NH-8, Panipat-Jalandhar stretch (291 km) on NH-1, Gurgaon-Kotputli-Jaipur stretch (200 km) on NH-8, Chikaluripet-Vijaywada stretch (90 km) on NH-5, and a 43 km Chennai-Tada stretch on NH-5. The estimated cost of these five stretches is around Rs 5,200 crore.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials say that these projects would be put up for bidding soon. As the tolling operations on these are being handled by the Authority itself , therefore fresh bidding would be done.

"Though already four-laned highways are being six-laned under phase V, these stretches would be treated as new projects and the cost of four laning won't be considered. As land would have to be acquired afresh, flyovers, underpasses, and approach roads would have to be constructed, therefore these would be completely new projects," said an NHAI official.