New Delhi, July 4, 2013: It will take two-and-a-half to three years to reconstruct the national highways destroyed by rains and floods in Uttarakhand. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is gearing up to meet the anticipated cost of about Rs. 2,500 crore to Rs. 3,000 crore, with assistance from the Centre.

Even as the Ministry looks to get the highways reopened as soon as possible, its secretary Vijay Chibber anticipates the need for rescheduling highway projects elsewhere in the country.

According Mr. Vijay Chibber, the Centre is providing monetary and assistance to the State Public Works Department and the Border Roads Organisation. The Ministry has given the institutions a blank cheque for acquiring equipment — bulldozers, excavators, etc — to restore affected highways at as many as 20 points.

The BRO has sought about Rs.100 crore and the PWD, Rs. 30 crore. More will be provided as and when the agencies make the request.

Almost 50 per cent of the highways in the State have been damaged. According to the Ministry’s latest note, 941 km of the 1,814-km stretch of highways has been ruined in 117 incidents of landslides, breaches, submergence, scouring by river, landslides and road sinking.

This assessment does not include the 74-km stretch between Rudraprayag and Gaurikund, which has been fully damaged — the Songanga bridge has been washed away, as is the approach road to the Ravanganga bridge.

The permanent steel truss bridge (Lambagarh) over the Alaknanda was washed away on June 26 as was a Bailey bridge near Rudraprayag.

National Highway 56, between Rishikesh and Mana, is among the worst-hit, though part of it has been made traffic-worthy. Some stretches have been opened for pedestrians. Restoration work in blocked sections is under progress and the BRO is still assessing the expected duration for completion.

Traffic has been restored on several other national highways, while between Nainital and Karnaprayag it is expected to be opened on July 4.

Perhaps among the worst-affected are NHs 108 and 109 between Dharasu and Gangotri (124 km) and Rudraprayag and Gaurikund (74 km). The restoration of both these stretches is expected to be completed by August 30.

In the case of NH-108, the MoRTH will need to acquire land from the Revenue department and tree-felling permission from the Forest department. The problem is at every km, Mr. Chibber has pointed out, and the effort now is at restoring one-way traffic on the road — as was the practice in the good old days — while the second lane is being reconstructed.

The Ministry must also make an appraisal of the need for land acquisition for realignment of roads, said Mr. Chibber. A chief engineer has been deputed to help the State prepare a detailed project report (DPR). On some stretches, a bypass will be built.

The MoRTH will release funds on a priority basis according to the requirements detailed in the DPR

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 4, 2013.