Road development project for city may take off soon

Road development project for city may take off soon
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NAGPUR, JULY 15: The Integrated Road Development Project (IRDP), aimed to improve the 220-km road stretches of Nagpur city, may soon take off with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) agreeing to fund the Rs 325 crore project.

Disclosing this to newsmen, Chandrashekhar said MSRDC has agreed to finance the project immediately and what remains now is an approval from the Chief Minister and the Cabinet Committee. The project, which involves participation from the NMC, NIT, PWD and the State Government, is likely to be launched by October, as per the schedule prepared by the Commissioner.

As per discussions held between the NMC and the MSRDC officials, the Corporation is ready to finance the entire project, while the NMC will be repaying Rs 190 crore as its share in a span of 15 years. The NIT will be sharing Rs 7.5 crore, while the State Government will also put its own share in the project.

The project, which earlier was put at Rs 491 crore, was downsized to Rs 325 crore after negotiations with the MSRDC officials. Some of the railway overbridges which were included in the previous plan, now stand cancelled.

Under the IRDP, the NMC intends to construct all roads in Nagpur afresh while concentrating on pedestrian paths, drainage systems and aesthetic value. The project also includes widening of existing railway overbridges to decongest traffic and construction of new overbridges.

The project will be executed in phases, with the first set to be launched in October this year. If the MSRDC pours in the money, the first phase of the project is likely to be completed by May 2001.

Chandrashekhar said that the MSRDC officials were convinced by the income potential of the project which is estimated at Rs 676 crore over the next 15 years. Of it the toll tax on entry of vehicles in city alone is estimated to fetch Rs 75 crore, Chandrashekhar said. The rest of the money will be generated by the NMC, NIT, from fuel cess and government grants, he said.