The Hindu : Karnataka News : Speed up highway project, Govt. told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 16, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Speed up highway project, Govt. told

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JULY 15. The World Bank on Thursday told the State Government to expedite the implementation of the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP) as there was tardy progress in achieving the project objectives.

Speaking at the Third Annual Road Sector Stakeholders' Forum, KSHIP, organised here by the Public Works Department (PWD), Guang Z. Chen, Sector Manager (Transport) World Bank, Washington, said there was delay of more than a year in the implementation of some project components, and PWD officials might face difficulties in the next two years in completing the project. Launched in 2002, the KSHIP was expected to be completed by December 2006.

He said the World Bank had recently conducted a mid-term review of the project. It was found that its implementation had been delayed because of problems such as land acquisition, procurement of goods and assignment of contract work. He had asked the PWD officials to put in more effort to complete the project on time. However, the bank was satisfied with the quality of roadwork executed in the State so far, Mr. Chen said.

The total project cost is Rs. 2,030 crore, and the Government obtained a loan of Rs. 1,635 crore from the World Bank. The share of the State Government is Rs. 395 crore.

The Minister for Public Works and Power, H.D. Revanna, inaugurated the forum and said over 650 km of roads had already been built under the project, and a total of 2,381 km of roads would be improved by the end of December 2006. "The project will go a long way in improving the quality of the core road network in the State," he added.

The Minister said that for the first time the maintenance of 7,400 km of State highways on term contract basis was taken up. The PWD had improved 9,470 km of roads in the past three years under various schemes funded by government grants, Central Road Fund, and loans from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Mr. Revannareleased a report on "Management information system," brought out by the PWD.

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