Aizawl: Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Harsh Malhotra inspected highway and bridge projects under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and Mizoram PWD on Friday, an official statement said.
Malhotra, who was on a three-day visit to the northeastern state, visited the NHIDCL office in Aizawl. There, he discussed ongoing projects with officials from the Centre’s construction company.
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The minister learned that NHIDCL is currently undertaking 33 road projects across six national highways in Mizoram, covering about 820 km at a cost of Rs. 19,800 crore.
These projects aim to promote the socio-economic growth of the state and fulfill strategic requirements along the Myanmar and Bangladesh borders.
NHIDCL officials told Malhotra that they have set up project monitoring units in Kolasib, Seling, Lunglei, and Lawngtlai to ensure effective monitoring and supervision.
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Malhotra also visited the site of the greenfield alignment of the upcoming four-lane package 8 of the Mualkhang-Sairang sector and the two-lane Aizawl bypass road package 1 on NH-06.
The four-lane project is part of the Vairengte-Sairang four-lane initiative, which aims to enhance connectivity between Aizawl and Silchar in Assam.
Pre-construction activities are already underway, and construction will begin soon.
The Aizawl Bypass project aims to reduce traffic congestion in the state capital and enhance connectivity between Sairang, near Aizawl, and Seling in Saitual district, reducing travel time by 30 km.
This project has also been awarded, and pre-construction activities are ongoing.
Malhotra inspected the ongoing 90-meter steel arch bridge project over the Tlawng river on NH-44A, which the MoRTH sanctioned.
The state PWD supervises the construction, carried out under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode.
Malhotra urged officials to complete the project on time and instructed them to report the completion status personally, assuring that he would return for the bridge’s inauguration.
During his visit, Malhotra, who also holds the Corporate Affairs portfolio, toured the “Inspection and Certification Centre,” a Rs. 7.1 crore ongoing project under the MoRTH’s road safety division at Hlimen on Aizawl’s southern outskirts.
He also conducted an aerial inspection of the completed Seling-Dulte sector of NH-06 and the ongoing Keifang-Tuivai road project on NH-102B.
Additionally, Malhotra visited Saitual district, where he inspected the district hospital and high school, and met with officials, village council leaders, and NGO leaders.
He returned to Delhi on Friday.