The defence authorities in Kolkata are unwilling to part away with the land unless they get a suitable plot in return. The project aims to connect the Kolkata port with national highway network on a fast track.
The NHAI has already acquired seven kilometres of the stretch but an approximately 50 acre plot in the project area owned by the Ministry of Defence still eludes them.
As of now, the Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC) has leased the land from the Ministry of Defence. The NHAI will be executing the stretch from the National Highway 6 to the swing bridge of the Kolkata Dock System.
The remaining stretch is to be taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport. Designated as NH 117, this part connects the junction of NH 6 with Kona Expressway-Vidyasagar Setu-Kolkata-Diamond Harbour-Kulpi-Namkhana and terminates at Bakkhali.
During a recent workshop in Kolkata where the status of various urban infrastructure projects was assessed, the NHAIs problem was shared with the state officials.
The defence authorities have reportedly asked the NHAI to identify a plot equal in the area close to the city in return. “However, as per our preliminary estimates, it will cost around Rs 1,000 crore to identify a similar plot. This will hit the viability of the project,” said a senior official of the NHAI.
In the backdrop of the deadlock, the NHAI may contemplate aborting the project altogether. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has not been prepared till now.
The NHAI has requested both the Ministry of Defence and the West Bengal government to intervene and resolve the matter. “We have received a response from the West Bengal government saying that they are pursuing the matter. It is too early to say if the project will be stalled as the response is still awaited. The matter remains pending now,” said K Venkatraman, General Manager, NHAI (Port Connectivity).