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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the upgradation and widening of 65 km of Imphal-Moreh Section of NH-39 in Manipur. The project cost is estimated at Rs 1,630.29 crore.
An official statement said, "The project will improve connectivity between Imphal with the eastern part of the state. Based on the existing and projected traffic requirements the NH-39 will be widened to 4 lane between Lilong village and Wanginj village, while the stretch between Wanginj village to Khongkhang will be upgraded to 2 lane with paved shoulder."
The project is being developed with ADB's loan assistance under the South Asian Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Investment Program. The project corridor is also a part of the Asian Highway No. 01 (AH01).
Manipur being a landlocked state with almost 90 per cent of the area under difficult terrain, currenttly has only road transport as a means of mass transport system within the state.
The project corridor is also a part of the Asian Highway No. 01 (AH01) and acts as India's Gateway to the East. Thus, trade, commerce and tourism in the region will get a boost.
Government of India has notified an Integrated Custom Post (ICP) at Moreh. The development of this project is essential to support the increased traffic volume on account of the development of the ICP. Manipuri workers, who specialise in creating bamboo and wood-based handicraft items and uniquely designed handwoven textile items, will get a new market among Myanmarese customers. Small-scale industries such as those making farm implements and tools, stationery, plastic extrusion items and carpentry units, could also develop markets beyond the border.
Besides socio-economic development the project will also reduce the average travel time along the project road by nearly 40 per cent.
In addition, the new features of road safety namely vehicular underpasses, crash barriers, road signs and and markings, service roads for segregation of slow and high moving traffic, truck lay-bys, bus-bays, will help in greatly reducing accidents. Improved highways and lesser travel time will lead to savings in terms of fuel cost.
The CCEA also approved the development of four-laning of Solapur-Bijapur Section of New NH-52 in Maharashtra and Karnataka
An official statement said, the development of 4-laning of about 110 km is estimated to cost approximately Rs 1,889 crore including the cost of land acquisition and pre-construction activities.
Pact with Dhaka
The Cabinet approved the Joint Interpretative Notes (JIN) on the agreement between India and Bangladesh for the Promotion and Protection of Investments.
An official statement said, the JIN would impart clarity to the interpretation of the existing Agreement between India and Bangladesh for the Promotion and Protection of Investments (BIPA).
The Cabinet was approved the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh on cyber security cooperation. The Cabinet also gave an ex-post facto approval for signing a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between India and Germany on cooperation in the field of Health.
The establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi also got the cabinet's nod. In addition to these, the cabinet also approved the creation of three posts of Directors for the three new AIIMS in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
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