Tendering for Shiv Mandir to Sevoke road project initiated, says Raju Bista

PRASHANT ACHARYA | EOI | SILIGURI | 7 JUNE 2022: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has initiated tendering for the project worth Rs 755 crore for the four-lane National Highway 31 with service roads on either side, from Shiv Mandir in Darjeeling district to Sevoke Army Cantonment in Jalpaiguri district on the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode. 

A stretch of National Highway 10 would also be upgraded. 

BJP M. P. of Darjeeling Raju Bista on Tuesday said that this would minimise the time and cost over-runs, and ensure completion of the project with least cost and greater efficiency. 

The project is expected to be completed in 30-months. The EPC mode is a kind of turnkey contract given to the private sector for intricate infrastructure projects. 

"The daily traffic snarl in the Darjeeling More area is one of the most severe problems faced by the people from Siliguri and nearby regions. Because of this, the construction of this corridor has been among the main demands of the people from Siliguri and the north Bengal region, and one of the dream projects for me. 

I am very happy that within a short period of time, we have been able to address this major issue confronting our region. The completion of this project will help ease traffic between Khaprail More, Matigara, Darjeeling More, Siliguri town, 2-mile, and Salugara.

"Along with this, tenders for upgrading four stretches on NH10 had also been issued, he said. This would prevent landslides in critical areas. NH-10 would also be widened in congested places. This would also help ease traffic on the route to Kalimpong and Sikkim from Siliguri along river Teesta. 

The planning process for an alternative to Coronation Bridge had also been initiated and tenders were expected to be issued within the next two to three months. Along with this, the designing and development of the architectural layout of Bagdogra Airport was expected to be completed in the next three months, and the development and construction of the new Airport terminal would begin as soon as the design had been approved.