Goa to widen two national highways

The state government of Goa in conjunction with the Central government has initiated the process of widening two national highways NH17 and NH4-A. The Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways had given in-principle approval for the widening of the two highways some time back. The state government is now planning to appoint a consultant to prepare the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for the projects which will be carried out on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. As per the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) being prepared, the Goa government will bear 60% of the cost of the project while the Central government will contribute 60%. The widening of the Nh-4A stretch, which is estimated to cost र 471 crore has been awarded to IRB Infrastructure Developers while the widening of the NH17 stretch, expected to cost र 3100 crore will be carried out by Hyderabad-based IVRCL group.