Guwahati: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Thursday announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a concession agreement with M/s Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt. Ltd. for the development of the 121 km long Guwahati Ring Road.
The agreement was signed in the presence of NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and senior officials of NHAI, said in a statement.
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The project, to develop at a cost of Rs. 5,729 crore under the Build Operate Toll (BOT) mode with zero grant, will have a concession period of 30 years, including a construction period of four years, the release stated.
To support the project, the Assam State Government has agreed to bear 50% of the land cost, provide exemption from royalty on aggregates, and also contribute to the state portion of GST, amounting to approximately Rs. 1,270 crore.
As a result, experts expect the total project cost to reach around Rs. 7,000 crore.
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The Guwahati Ring Road project will divide into three sections. These include the 56 km long, 4-lane Access-Controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass, the widening of the existing 8 km bypass on NH 27 from four lanes to six lanes, and the improvement of the existing 58 km bypass on NH 27.
A major highlight of the project is the construction of a 3 km long bridge over the Brahmaputra River.
The new Ring Road will provide seamless connectivity to long-distance traffic on the East-West Corridor of NH-27, which serves as the gateway to the North-East region.
It will also help alleviate congestion in Guwahati City and surrounding areas by bypassing major traffic from West Bengal, Bihar, and other regions traveling to Silchar, Nagaland, and Tripura.
The project will enhance connectivity to key towns in the region, including Siliguri, Silchar, Shillong, Jorhat, Tezpur, Jogigopha, and Barpeta.
The release further said that the development aligns with the Government of India’s push for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in infrastructure, particularly in road projects.
The agreement marks the first contract signed based on a modified Modal Concession Agreement which will pave the way for more such contracts.
As part of the government’s ‘Vision 2047,’ the government plans to develop numerous high-speed corridors, with robust PPPs playing a key role in building and maintaining a world-class national highway network across the country, the release added.