The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Jaipur-Kotputli highway to be renovated

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Friday, May 27, 2005

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Jaipur-Kotputli highway to be renovated

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has approved a massive renovation and repair work at the Jaipur-Kotputli stretch of the national highway-8 at a cost of Rs. 82 crores. The NHAI will provide the grant to the Rajasthan State Road Development Corporation for executing the work.

The highway, which has been converted into four-lane in most parts, connects New Delhi with Mumbai. The decision regarding the renovation of the Jaipur-Kotputli section was taken at a high-level meeting between the Union Minister for Road Transport, T.R. Baalu, and the State Public Works Department Minister, Rajendra Singh Rathore, here on Monday.

Mr. Baalu discussed in detail the issues relating to the condition of all national highways in Rajasthan and assured that the Centre would give all possible assistance for developing the road infrastructure in the State. He also gave his consent to the conversion of the remaining portion of the Ringus-Sikar highway into four-lane in view of the heavy traffic pressure.

Mr. Baalu said round- the- clock patrolling would be started shortly on the six-lane Jaipur-Kishangarh expressway, which was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, on Monday. He asked the State Government to provide police personnel for the purpose and assured that Rs. 41 crores due to the State under the Central Road Fund would be released this month.

Mr. Rathore, while giving a detailed account of the progress made in the road transport sector, called upon the Centre to declare the 17 State highways as national highways and give sanction to the proposals for repair of 18 inter-State roads. The PWD Minister pointed out that Rajasthan was one of the most backward States in the country in terms of the presence of national highways. Against the national average of national highways at 1.99 km per 1,000 sq. km, the average in Rajasthan was only 1.6 km. He said the approval for the pending highway proposals should be given on the basis of the norms followed during the recent upgradation of 990-km-long highways.

Mr. Baalu said a review meeting on the national highways in Rajasthan would be convened in New Delhi next month. Among others, the Chairman of NHAI, Santosh Nautiyal, the Union Road Transport Secretary, Dhanendra Kumar, and the Rajasthan Government's Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Surendra Kumar, attended the meeting.

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