Pause in the Haldia-Kolaghat highway has become a year old

The 52-km-long stretch of NH 41 connecting Kolaghat on NH 6 to Haldia port was abandoned after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) terminated the deal with the contractor. The project was a joint venture between Chinese Water Hydro Energy Corporation (CWHEC) and its Indian partner Harish Chandra India Ltd (HCIL).

The contract was terminated on April 26 last year, as NHAI was not satisfied with the progress on the much-hyped road link from Haldia port and Kolaghat on NH 6. By then, the project had already overshot its deadline by two years.

The expected date of completion of the project, which began in September 2002, was March 2005.

At present, only 42 per cent of the work has been completed. The total cost of the project was pegged at Rs 220 crore of which Rs 137 crore has already been utilised.

As of now, NHAI has not yet zeroed in on a new contractor. “We had invited bids and had forwarded the proposals to the NHAI board. We had been asked to look into the legal aspects of the project. The board will be meeting soon to award the contract,” said NHAI General Manager K Venkataraman.