Himachal launches Rs 13.65 bn road project

The Government of Himachal Pradesh has launched the Rs 1365.43 crore state road project under which 435 km long highways and major district roads would be upgraded besides periodic maintenance of 2,000 km road length.

Laying the foundation stone at Una, the state Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that it was the first such project of the state to be carried out by a Chinese road construction company. It would be completed by 2012.

He said that the project, supported by World Bank, would be completed in four phases on war footing.

Public Works Minister Gulab Singh Thakur said that the project was beginning of the international standard road construction activities in the state and would be completed in 36 months besides monitoring strict quality control.

Detailing about the project, the World Bank Senior Urban Transport Specialist Hubert Nuve Jusserand said that the road project was launched to upgrade a network of about 2,500 km of state roads to international standards.