Project of four laning of Baharampur-Farakka(Kilometre 193 to Kilometre 295) section of NH-34 in the State of West Bengal under NHDP Phase III
	15:5 IST

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure today approved the implementation of project of four laning of 102 kilometre long Baharampur-Farakka section on National Highways NH-34 from kilometre 193 to kilometre 295 in the State of West Bengal under NHDP Phase-III on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) Basis. NH-34 is an important highway and lifeline for North-South road transport in the State of West Bengal as it passes through the state longitudinally and connects the North-eastern States and neighbouring Countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The traffic on this National Highway is expected to increase substantially due to the implementation of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) among SAARC Countries (Nepal, Bhutan and Bangaldesh). The commercial traffic generated/originated from Haldia Port, Kolkata and industrial areas in South Bengal heading towards North Bengal, North-eastern States and Neighbouring Countries (Nepal, Bhutan and Bangaldesh) has only a route i.e. NH-34. The main object of the project is to expedite the improvement of infrastructure in the State. The project is one of the stretches approved by the Government under NHDP Phase III. The total project cost is estimated to Rs.998.79 crore under DBFOT pattern. The concessionaire will make all expenditure to complete the project and will recover the same by user fee for 25 years including a construction period of 30 months. The project is covered in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. BACKGROUND: The Cabinet gave approval for four/six laning of 4000 kilometre of National Highways under NHDP Phase IIIA on BOT basis in its meeting held on March 2005. Subsequently Government approved additional stretches on May 2006, October 2006 and April 2007, for implementation for four laning. Total tentative length of 12109 kilometre is to be done at an estimated cost of Rs.80626 crore. The stretch of 102 kilometre long section under consideration is one of the approved stretches. *** SH/SKS