AGARTALA, May 5 (TIWN): With the Agartala-Sabroom National Highway NH-44 double lane construction work droops, Public Work Department (PWD) Minister Badal Chowdhury requested Union Ministry of Roads and Transport to release the land acquisition fund as earliest as possible in order to take up the work.Minister Badal Chowdhury on Tuesday highlighting the discussion held at the review meeting at Guwahati with Ministry of Roads and Transport said, “Tripura PWD department had urged the centre for immediate release of fund to the respective authorities by the NHIDCL for early commencement of the improvement works of Agartala-Sabroom section.”Interacting with the newsmen at the civil secretariat on Tuesday Chowdhury also said, “Despite taking the matter with the Union Minister, no fund has been released yet for the land acquisition whereas the state govt. here has already taken up the preliminary work assigning the agency.”Concerning about the development of the NH-44 Churaibari-Agartala section, Minister said that the department had requested the centre to approve the state’s proposal at the earliest so that after observing all formalities the work for double lanning of the section can be taken up immediately after the monsoon.

Adding to that Minister said that uut of 198 km, State PWD has taken over 104 km stretch of Churaibari-Agartala section of NH-44. Thereafter, State PWD has almost completed the Feasibility study and DPR preparation of 104 km and the same would be submitted to MoRT&H shortly.

Chowdhury also said that recently the Ministry of Roads and Transport has constituted National Highway Infrastructural Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) to take up the NH-44 work instead of BRO earlier assigned.

NHIDCL is directly implementing the development of Agartala-Sabroom section of NH-44 in Tripura. Though they have awarded the work to the construction agencies in two packages (Package-I: Agartala-Udaipur & Package-Il: Udaipur-Sabroom), the work could not yet been started for release of fund to the respective authorities for Iand acquisition, forest land diversion and shifting of utilities.

The estimate for land acquisition and shifting of utilities for Rs. 494, 1094 crore has been approved by MoRT&H, said Chowdhury.

Chowdhury also said that declaration of the two remaining stretches of Kukital – Sabroom, Khowai-Aqartala, Kamalpur-Belonia corridor as NH needs to be considered immediately for ensuring effective connectivity of border and tribal areas.

However later Minister said, “Despite drawing his attention towards the deplorable condition of the developmental work of NH-44, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has not ensured the release of required fund for construction or improvement of NH-44.”