Rs7,300 crore roads for Naxal-hit areas

The Union road ministry is working in tandem with the home ministry to develop road network in the naxal-infested areas.

The government has prepared a blueprint for development of 5,565km of state highways and national highways worth Rs7,300 crore over the next three years.

“The home ministry has identified the stretches to be developed and classified them in three categories on the basis of security requirement for successful development of the projects. The stretches will be categorised as those requiring no security, semi-security and heavy security,” said an official close to the development.

The move is expected to benefit at least 33 districts in eight naxal-infested states. To co-ordinate the efforts, a special cell has been created in the transport ministry for left-wing affected areas.

Of the Rs7,300 crore, the government has sanctioned Rs 500 crore for 2009-10. Of this, the transport ministry has sanctioned 22 projects worth Rs 444.48 crore spanning 462 km in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and MP.

As per the official, at least 25 proposals spanning 938 km involving a cost of Rs1,180.83 crore are in different stages of processing. “These are for Jharkhand, Bihar, UP, MP, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.”