Remove highway hoardings: NHAI
June 1, 2008
PANAJI: All hoardings erected along the national highways of Goa must be removed by June 5, 2008, according to an order issued by the National Highways Authority of India on Friday.
The NHAI officials told TOI that the order was issued directing that all hoardings must be removed within five days of publication of the order, failing which NHAI would itself remove the hoardings.
In its drive against these hoardings, the NHAI had earlier counted 245 major hoardings and about 700 smaller hoardings erected on land acquired for the national highways in Goa. While some have been removed since, many are still there.
On February 12, 2008, the High Court of Bombay in Goa had directed the state authorities to remove all illegal hoardings in the state within four months and file a report to the court.
The court also asked both the district collectors to submit their progress report latest by July 21, 2008.
These directions are to be complied with by the collectors of North and South Goa, directorate of panchayats, director of municipal administration and the highway administration.
This order of the High Court assumes significance in view of mushrooming illegal billboards in Goa, particularly along the national highways. Following a news report in a local daily, the court had taken suo
moto cognizance and issued a notice to the state authorities.
The court had observed that billboards are being erected without obtaining NoCs from local authorities and in violation of the 40-metre setback rule set out by the Indian Road Congress and without the permission of the Traffic Cell.
The court observed that local authorities must exercise proper control over billboard erection and order their removal wherever rules are flouted. The court noted that the hoardings are a hazard to road safety and mar the natural beauty of the state.
The court also held that the local authorities have failed to exercise statutory control over the erection of billboards within their respective jurisdictions, thereby encouraging illegal hoardings.
Source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
NHAI floats Rs 3,700-cr bond issue
May 31, 2008
NEW DELHI: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has floated a fresh tranche of capital gains bonds to raise Rs 3,700 crore for funding new projects over the medium term. This is the second time in less than one year that NHAI has issued bonds. In September 2007, the organisation raised Rs 2,000 crore through such bonds.
The bonds issued by NHAI will yield an interest of 5.75% per annum and mature in three years. The face value of each bond is Rs 10,000. The Authority will accept a maximum application size of 500 bonds from a single entity or person. The bonds have been issued under Section 54 EC of the Income-Tax Act and the issue will close at the end of the current fiscal (March 31, 2009).
The issue is being marketed by banks such as Union Bank of India (UBI), IDBI Bank, selected branches of Syndicate Bank, HDFC Bank, Canara Bank and Punjab National Bank (PNB).
The government has authorised the NHAI to issue capital gains bonds with a ceiling of Rs 3,700 crore during 2008-09. Section 54EC of the Income Tax Act 1961, provides that capital gains arising from transfer of a long-term capital asset shall not be taxed so far as such gains are invested in a long-term asset within a period of six months after the date of transfer.
The NHAI is about to launch two more projects under the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) VI and VII, which are currently in the planning stage. Both the projects have a planned investment of Rs 16,680 crores each.
NHDP VI involves the construction of a 1,000 km expressway in the western region. The cabinet committee on economic affairs has already approved the development plan of NHDP VII and the ministry of road transport and highways is in the process of setting targets for the stage by stage completion of the same.
NHAI is engaged in building the golden quadrilateral, which is part of NHDP-I and II projects. NHAI funds highway projects through issue of bonds, funds raised through fuel cess and loans from multilateral funding agencies such as Asian Development Bank and World Bank.
Source: www.economictimes.indiatimes.com
Himachal CM Proposes Six-lane Parwanno-Shimla Expressway
May 27, 2008
Shimla: Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal put forth a proposal for a six-lane expressway between Parwanno and Shimla, keeping in mind the increased traffic and future needs on the route.
Presiding over a review meet consisting of officials from the National Highway Authority (NHAI) and the state government the chief minister said that detailed project report for a six-lane expressed could be prepared.
He said the government was keen to start work on the four-laning of the 40.75 Km Parwanno – Solan stretch of the highway. Work on the Solan – Shimla stretch would be taken up in the next phase, he said. The four lane express way project between Parwanoo and Solan was likely to cost Rs 440.56 crore.
NHAI had proposed to construct the entire length of road as four-lane road but the state government was keen that the entire road be made into a six-lane one, said Dhumal.
Traffic pressure was mounting with every passing year, said Dhumal, and to meet the transport needs for the next fifty years it was essential to plan for it today. Vehicle movement on the existing highway from both ends was estimated to be around 23,000 per day which was projected to rise to about 66,500 by 2030. Such projections needs to be kept in mind while preparing a DPR for the expressway said Dhumal.
Roads remained the life line of connectivity for the hill capital, said the chief minister, as the Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge rail line was in the process of being declared a World Heritage rail track and the possibility of it being expanded into a broad gauge track was remote.
Planning and designing was required to be in consonance with the future demand of the area and required preparations made well in time to envision the additional land acquisition for the six lane express way, he said.
Public Works Minister Gulab Singh Thakur, said that spade work had been carried out for getting the project started early.
Dr. Rajeev Bindal, health minster, sought details of the habitations falling between Parwanoo and Shimla and urged authorities not to disturb the same in the process.
Ravi Dhingra, Chief Secretary said that the state had initially proposed the construction of six lane express way which was the need of the state keeping in view future growth requirements.
Balram Sharma, Secretary PWD, gave a detailed presentation about the departments preparedness to get the project executed.
PK Dass, General Manager, NHAI gave the presentation about the express way project and assured that necessary steps would be taken to make preparations for six lane road while initially constructing a four lane road.
Solan district legislators Hari Narayan Singh Saini, Smt. Vinod Chandel, Gobind Sharma and Dr. Rajeev Saijal, Principal secretary to the chief minister Bhim Sen, Director general of police Ashwani Kumar, special secretary PWD Mohan Chauhan, HPPWD engineer in chief BS Rajpal, Project director NHAI Col. K.P.Sharma, consultant NHAI Faquir Chand and other senior officers were present in the meeting.
Source:www.himachal.us
M’lore: High-tech Four-lane Road from Kundapur to Talapady Soon
May 2, 2008
Govind D Belgaumkar/The Hindu
- Work on the 90-km stretch likely to begin after the monsoon season
- Contractors to apply for pre-qualification before May 30
- Work to be awarded on build, operate and transfer basis
Mangalore, May 2: A smooth ride on a high-tech road from Kundapur in Udupi district to Talapady on Karnataka-Kerala border may be a possibility very soon. However, vehicle users will have to pay for using the road.
The work is being taken up under the third phase of National Highway Development Project (NHDP), aimed at building world-class highways to fuel the growth of the economy.
Although the work on the stretch between Nanthur and Surathkal has been tardy, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has invited tenders for the remaining 90-km stretch. The Surathkal-Nanthur stretch has been taken up under the Port Connectivity Project of the NHDP.
Process
Considering that the process of awarding the tender takes a few months, as suggested in the authority’s website, the 90-km project implementation may begin only after the monsoon season.
The authority intends to pre-qualify six applicants, who will be eligible to bid for the project. In the next step, the bidders have to submit their financial offers for the project.
The NHAI has set May 30, against the previous May 5, as the deadline for contractors to apply for pre-qualification. Queries from the applicants will be entertained till May 5, after which a conference will be organised to clear their doubts on May 7. It will be a tolled road to be awarded on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. A special purpose company will be created to undertake the project implementation.
The contractor winning the project will have to design, engineer, finance, construct, operate and maintain the road till its transfer to the NHAI.
Scope of work
The scope of the project includes, rehabilitation of displaced people, improvement and widening of the existing carriageway to four-lane standards with construction of new pavements, rehabilitation of existing pavement, construction and/or rehabilitation of major and minor bridges, culverts, road intersections, interchanges, drains, and the operation and maintenance thereof.
Features
The NHDP hopes to provide enhanced safety features on the roads taken up for four-laning or six-laning, besides better riding surface, better traffic management and noticeable signage, divided carriageways and service roads, grade separators, over bridges and underpasses, bypasses and wayside amenities. The third phase envisages construction of more than 12,000-km of road. Of this, about 10,000 km is yet to be awarded, according to the NHAI website. Under NHDP, the authority has almost completed the golden quadrilateral which connects the four metros.
source:www.daijiworld.com
Govt goes high on highway
April 30, 2008
At last, the confusion whether the tiny State of Goa will have a six or the four lanes on National Highway 17, looks to have been solved by the announcement of Public Works Department minister Churchill Alemao, after an all party meeting yesterday, that the State would prefer a 4-lane due to the land constraints. But will the project see the light of the day considering that Goa government is biding for it?
There seems to be more than one technical snag in the decision reached by all parties to go in for a four lane highway on BOOT basis (built, own, operate and transfer basis).
First, the National Highways Authority has almost completed the formalities on the project and according to the NHAI website the works on the project — four laning of NH17 from Patradevi to Polem – a 139 km stretch, is due for tendering soon after the consultant submits the report.
Another issue that meets the eye is when the Centre is all set to tender the work why the hurry in taking up the project on its own by Goa government?
Secondly, the NHAI says that the estimated cost of the entire stretch including the five bridges at Colvale, Mandovi, Zuari, Talpona and Galgibaba will cost around 906.28 crores approximately.
Moreover, our PWD minister thinks otherwise and says the projects will cross a cost of Rs 2000 crore “as the cement and the steel prices have gone up.” Even then should the estimated cost become double?
The NHAI is a competent authority and has taken up number of such projects but PWD minister wants to prove them wrong. Is it just a mistake or there is something more to the tale?
Herald understands that the estimated cost drawn a few days ago by the PWD ministry here is also around Rs 1300 crores, taking into consideration the cost escalation.
Govt goes high on highway
The consultant appointed by NHAI for Goa National Highways has already submitted the report on four laning of NH 4(A) from Panjim to Anmod and is expected to complete the report on the NH-17 in near future.
The other announcement that the toll will not be charged to State registered vehicles may please the Goans, but the question is whether toll collection of non-Goa registration vehicles would suffice to recover the huge cost that would be incurred by the contractor?
The answer of non-Goa registration vehicles will be only 1,000 to 2000 at the most, sources say. How then the government expects the contractor to maintain the road at its best? Will any contractor come up to take up work with such conditions? is a big question.
The toll rates charged presently by the NHAI is - car or jeep or van Rs 0.40 per km; light commercial vehicles - Rs. 0.70 per km; truck or bus Rs 1.40 per km and heavy construction machinery and earthmoving equipment - Rs 3 per km.
source: www.oheraldo.in
GVK group targets expansion plan of NH-8
April 29, 2008
The GVK group is planning to expand its highway footprint in north India. The group, which built and is operating the 91-km Jaipur-Kishangarh stretch, is now eying to bag National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) project for widening the Kishangarh-Ajmer-Bewar section of NH 8. Since the existing stretch is among the biggest money spinner road projects in India a toll collection of nearly Rs 128 lakh per km per year, the extension is going to attract other big names also for the bidding process.
The NHAI’s decision to six-lane the 94-km stretch of Kishangarh-Ajmer-Beawar road comes three months after the move to similarly expand the Gurgaon-Jaipur stretch of NH 8. “We are definitely interested in the onward stretch from Kishangarh,” said GVK spokesperson Manish Kalghatgi. This 94-km stretch has to be six-laned at a cost of Rs 722 crore. The 91-km Jaipur-Kishangarh expressway was developed for Rs 650 crore.
A wide road right upto Beawar is going to make Rajasthan’s exotic tourist spots easily accessible. At present, the wide road from Gurgaon ends just after exiting the toll plaza at Kishangarh and then motorists have to negotiate heavy traffic on existing two-lane roads. This work will be done under the National Highway Development Project Phase (NHDP) phase-III in which 4,035-km of national highways had to be widened to four lanes.
“The Jaipur-Kishangarh stretch gets nearly 6 lakh vehicles and about Rs 12 crore as toll on an average every month. Such traffic and revenue figures are bound to generate interest among all major players in developing the Kishangarh-Beawar stretch,” said an official.
The improved highways will have service roads, pedestrian subways so that there is no jaywalking on roads in front of high speed vehicles.
Source: www.business-standard.com
Ministry unlikely to pay highway companies for higher input costs
April 28, 2008
The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways is unlikely to accept a demand of private contractors engaged in the construction of national highways for reimbursement of increased costs, incurred due to the unprecedented hike in cement and steel prices.
A senior official in the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways said: “We have received the demands of the highway contractors. However, it is very difficult to rework the cost escalation norms and reimburse the escalated price in a running contract. The government has taken several measures to address the price issue and in the coming days the prices of steel and cement are expected to come down”.
He added the projects undertaken on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis always have a risk element involved.
The risk is addressed to a certain extent as the contract is based on the star rate (the base rate at which the contract is signed for any given commodity used) and in which there is a provision to reimburse the escalated price.
Brahmdutt, president, National Highway Builders Federation, said: “The unanticipated sharp rise in the price of cement, steel, bitumen and other raw materials over the last year have hit hard the contractors undertaking National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) projects. The escalation clause of most contract documents are insufficient to accommodate the large variations in prices of construction materials. As a result such variations transfer themselves to the contractor in the form of increased costs”.
Over the last year, prices of steel, cement and bitumen have increased at an average of 76.96 per cent. This has led to increase in cost of building a 1 km four lane project from Rs 6 crore to Rs 7.84 crore
Ankideedu Maganti, director, Soma Enterprises Ltd, which is undertaking a couple of National Highways Authority of India, projects said: “At the time of bidding we assume a inflation of 7-8 per cent on materials.
But right now, our assumptions are not able to accommodate the 40-50 per cent rise in the price of raw materials”.
Source: www.business-standard.com
SIX Laning of delhi-Dehradun National Highway
April 24, 2008
Delhi-Dehradun stretch of NH-58 & 72 has been identified for 4/6-laning under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase III on Build, Operate & Transfer (BOT) mode based on the criteria of high density of traffic and connectivity of State capitals with corridors of NHDP Phase I & II . The present status of this stretch is as under:
- Delhi-Meerut section of NH-58 is already 4-laned and preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for 6-laning is in progress.
- The work of 4-laning of Meerut-Muzaffarnagar section of NH-58 on BOT basis is in progress and targeted for completion by March, 2009.
- The work of 4-laning of Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar section could not be awarded as only single bid was received and the same was cancelled. For re-bidding of this section, updation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) as per new Model Concession Agreement (MCA) as decided by Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) is in progress. The Haridwar-Dehradun section is passing through Rajaji National Park and clearance is to be obtained from the Central Empowered Committee constituted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. After clearance from Central Empowered Committee and PPPAC, bidding process is to be taken up for award of 4-laning work. It is too early to indicate the completion time of 4-laning work of Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar-Dehradun section at this stage. However, the same may not be completed by 2010 keeping in view the time taken in obtaining the clearance from Central Empowered Committee & PPPAC as well as response of bidders.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Shri K.H. Muniyappa in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Source: pib.nic.in
Road expansion along Singjamei side on NH-39
April 17, 2008
Road expansion along Singjamei side on NH-39
Non-utilisation of funds curse continues to haunt
Imphal, April 17: The work on upgrading the National Highway-39 stretch from Moirangkhom to Singjamei Bazar to a four-lane has been stalled as the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Government of India is hesitant on releasing the required fund in view of the failure to utilise the fund sanctioned earlier for various works.
The Ministry also seems to see no point or urgency in converting the road stretch to a four-lane in view of the existing traffic volume along the said National Highway.
Speaking to The Sangai Express an official source in the Works Department of the State Government, said that the Government of Manipur has spent Rs 11.45 crores till date in giving compensation to the owners of the land and buildings that were demolished for the purpose of expansion and upgradation of the road from Moirangkhom to Singjamei Bazar to a four-lane.
The source disclosed that for implementing the task of upgrading the road stretch to four-lane, the Works Department had submitted a DPR of Rs 6 crores to the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways for carrying out the task from Singjamei Parking to MU Main Gate during 2006-07 besides another DPR of Rs 18.5 crores for the task from Ist MR Gate to Singjamei Parking.
The DPRs of the Works Department have been included in the work programme of the annual plan of the Ministry.
But inspite of several reminders, the Ministry has not sanctioned the required fund, thus putting the proposal of upgrading the road stretch to four-lane to a grinding halt, the source said.
Nonetheless, in the month of January this year, the Ministry gave its approval for sanctioning Rs 8 crores for taking up the work from Singjamei Parking to MU Main Gate.
Accordingly, the process for inviting tender is already underway, the source informed.
As for the road upgradation work from Ist MR Gate to Singjamei Parking, the required fund is yet to be sanctioned by the Ministry, the source said, adding that the State Public Works Department would be exerting pressure on the Ministry for sanctioning the fund.
In connection with the refusal of the Ministry to sanction the required fund for upgrading the road from Moirangkhom to MU Main Gate to four-lane, the source disclosed that the Ministry has conveyed verbally to the officials of the Works Dept that conversion of the NH stretch into four-lane is not necessary in consideration for the current traffic volume along the said route.
On top of this, the Ministry has also made it clear that the fund sanctioned earlier for development of the National Highway stretch from Maram to Moreh should be utilised properly first, the source disclosed.
Conceding that the fund sanctioned by the Ministry during 1996-1997 for construction/repairing of the bridges at Pallel and Lokchao has not been able to utilise till date, the source, however, claimed that most of the works that have been sanctioned by the Ministry during 2003-04 are nearing completion.
Source: e-pao.net
Way paved for Ghaziabad expressway
April 17, 2008
GHAZIABAD/GREATER Noida: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has finally decided to complete work on a number of roads, including the 12-kilometre expressway linking Greater Noida to NH-24 in Ghaziabad.
While 10.5 kilometres of the 12-kilometre expressway having been completed five years ago, a 1.5-kilometre stretch on NH-24 had been encroached upon. Now, GDA vice-chairman SK Dwivedi said compensation and alternative plots of land will provided to residents along the route to clear the area in order to complete the expressway.
Meanwhile, the GDA has decided to go ahead with plans to build a six-lane expressway linking the Hindon bridge at Meerut Road and the Greater Noida-Ghaziabad expressway. The GDA and NHAI have already decided to widen NH 24 from UP Gate to Lal Kuan.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com