Centre likely to fund Salim's abandoned expressway project
The Centre is prepared to fund West Bengal's landmark Barasat-Roychak Expressway project after Indonesia's Salim Group abandoned it over state government's reluctance to acquire farmland for development.
By PTI |
KOLKATA: The Centre is prepared to fund West Bengal's landmark Barasat-Roychak Expressway project after Indonesia's Salim Group abandoned it over state government's reluctance to acquire farmland for development, PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami said.
"After Salim backed out from the project, I asked the chief minister whether it has been shelved. He said the Centre was prepared to fund it. If that happens, the project will be possible," Goswami said at an interaction with members of the Merchants Chamber of Commerce.
Aimed at linking North 24-Parganas district headquarters, Barasat, with the port city of Haldia in East Midnapore by an expressway, the project also includes construction of a bridge over the Hooghly between Raichak and Kukrahati.
Goswami said the expressway needed to be constructed to ease traffic congestion in Kolkata and the suburbs and his department had made the initial survey and submitted a preliminary report to the government.
Later, the Salim group approached the government with the proposal to build the expressway and the bridge, but in return wanted land along the road for development. The total land needed for the expressway project was estimated at 2500 acres.
"Most of the land they wanted was agricultural and there was resistance from landowners at Bhangar. The government was also unwilling to acquire farmland for development," the PWD minister said.
"After Salim backed out from the project, I asked the chief minister whether it has been shelved. He said the Centre was prepared to fund it. If that happens, the project will be possible," Goswami said at an interaction with members of the Merchants Chamber of Commerce.
Aimed at linking North 24-Parganas district headquarters, Barasat, with the port city of Haldia in East Midnapore by an expressway, the project also includes construction of a bridge over the Hooghly between Raichak and Kukrahati.
Goswami said the expressway needed to be constructed to ease traffic congestion in Kolkata and the suburbs and his department had made the initial survey and submitted a preliminary report to the government.
Later, the Salim group approached the government with the proposal to build the expressway and the bridge, but in return wanted land along the road for development. The total land needed for the expressway project was estimated at 2500 acres.
"Most of the land they wanted was agricultural and there was resistance from landowners at Bhangar. The government was also unwilling to acquire farmland for development," the PWD minister said.
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