NHAI to improve road infra in Jharkhand, West Bengal & Orissa
With the commissioning of major steel projects such as Posco & ArcelorMittal, the volume of traffic on Kolkata-Bhubaneswar stretch will multifold, as it connects Haldia, Paradeep and Visakhapatnam ports.
By Nirbhay Kumar & Subhash Narayan, ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: The steel ministry has asked National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to expand road infrastructure in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal, keeping in mind the massive growth of steel production in these states by 2011-12. It estimates that the traffic load on the highways will jump from 125 million tonnes (mt) to 234 mt in the next three years.
���Most of the proposed greenfield projects are located in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. In the coming years, more and more finished steel products are likely to be transported through road. Highways being used for transportation of steel and other raw materials are in bad shape and need immediate augmentation and strengthening,��� said an official in the steel ministry, who did not wish to be named. While Posco is setting up a 12-mt greenfield plant in Orissa, ArcelorMittal has proposed to set up two plants of 12 mt each in Orissa and Jharkhand. Companies such as Tata Steel and SAIL are also expanding capacities.
The steel ministry has identified some of the critical highway stretches and asked the ministry of road transport and highways to take urgent measures to improve the infrastructure, he said. Some of the national highway stretches include NH-22 connecting Cuttack and Sambalpur in Orissa, NH-5 between Kolkata and Bhubaneswar and NCH-6 connecting Kolkata with Bhilai, he added.
With the commissioning of major steel projects such as Posco and ArcelorMittal, the volume of traffic on Kolkata-Bhubaneswar stretch will multifold, as it connects Haldia, Paradeep and Visakhapatnam ports. The ministry is pushing hard for completion of various road projects in the next two years. ���The national highways would be the lifeline of the steel sector which are under commissioning in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh,��� added the official.
Steel sector expects a growth in domestic demand for steel and steel products, as India has one of lowest per capita consumption of steels of around 35 kg, he said.
���Most of the proposed greenfield projects are located in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. In the coming years, more and more finished steel products are likely to be transported through road. Highways being used for transportation of steel and other raw materials are in bad shape and need immediate augmentation and strengthening,��� said an official in the steel ministry, who did not wish to be named. While Posco is setting up a 12-mt greenfield plant in Orissa, ArcelorMittal has proposed to set up two plants of 12 mt each in Orissa and Jharkhand. Companies such as Tata Steel and SAIL are also expanding capacities.
The steel ministry has identified some of the critical highway stretches and asked the ministry of road transport and highways to take urgent measures to improve the infrastructure, he said. Some of the national highway stretches include NH-22 connecting Cuttack and Sambalpur in Orissa, NH-5 between Kolkata and Bhubaneswar and NCH-6 connecting Kolkata with Bhilai, he added.
With the commissioning of major steel projects such as Posco and ArcelorMittal, the volume of traffic on Kolkata-Bhubaneswar stretch will multifold, as it connects Haldia, Paradeep and Visakhapatnam ports. The ministry is pushing hard for completion of various road projects in the next two years. ���The national highways would be the lifeline of the steel sector which are under commissioning in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh,��� added the official.
Steel sector expects a growth in domestic demand for steel and steel products, as India has one of lowest per capita consumption of steels of around 35 kg, he said.
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