Rs. 700 crores for double laning of NH 31A: Ministry


GANGTOK, August 19: The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways have approved Rs. 700 crores for improvement of existing NH 31A from Sevoke in West Bengal to Ranipool in Sikkim (80 kms) to double lane standards.

This was stated by the Minister of State of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, RPN Singh in the Rajya Sabha yesterday in response to a question filed by lone Rajya Sabha member from Sikkim, OT Lepcha.
Lepcha had asked on the steps taken by the Centre for upgradation, widening and carpeting of NH 31A.

In his reply, Singh said that the Centre has approved a sum of Rs. 700 crores for double laning of the 80 kms stretch of NH 31A from Sevoke to Ranipool. The project is targeted for completion in March 2012 under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for Northeast, he said.

“So far, widening to two lane in a length of about 50 kms has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 264 crores”,

source;sikkim express