n all,39 projects connected with highways and bridges are being implemented and five proposals are in pipeline for Jharkhand,according to Tushar A. Chaudhary,Union Minister of State for road transport and highways.

Choudhary in response to a series of questions raised by Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani on the floor of the house said that in order to give priority,roads were indentified and sanctioned in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts under separate scheme.

“ As many as 32 number of projects in a length of 760 kilometers were in progress under the scheme in Jharkhand”, he added.

In reply to Nathwani’s querry about physical and financial targets set for the construction of highways and bridges for next three years in this state,Choudhary stated that targets were fixed for the current year only and not for next three years.

He however informed that 78 kilometers length of national highways were constructed / converted to four-lane during last three years. He said there were three projects under implementation for four-laning in Jharkhand as on date, of which one project of four-laning of Hazaribaugh-Ranchi section of National Highway-33,was delayed due to land acquisition. It was to be completed by July 2013.

The minister stated that during last three years of 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13;
Rs. 40 Crores, Rs. 115 Crores, and Rs. 200 Crores, respectively were allocated for construction of roads and highways in LWE affected areas. Of these, Rs. 39.96 Crore, Rs. 110.56 Crore and Rs. 190.08 Crore respectively were the expenditure against the allocation, he informed.

Further, if the figures of allocation and expenditure for the last three years submitted in the minister’s statement for construction of national highways and repair / maintenance of national highways are any indication, the track-record of the State appears ‘good and satisfactory’,he observed.