NEC preparing transport plan for North East

SHILLONG, June 20 ? The North Eastern Council (NEC) has commissioned the preparation of a perspective ?Transport Plan? for the development of north-eastern region. An amount of Rs 45.90 lakh has already been sanctioned in April last to a New Delhi consultancy firm M/s Consulting Engineer Services for the purpose. During April-May last, the apex planing body in the region has accorded administrative approval to schemes totalling about Rs 1280 lakh besides sanctioning Rs 81 lakh for implementation of various schemes in the region, NEC sources said. Grants-in-aid of Rs 35 lakhs has been sanctioned to the Assam Government towards support to the Government Ayurvedic College, Guwahati. In line with the top priority given by NEC to development of roads in the region, the Council has accorded administrative approval to only road schemes worth over Rs 12 crore in the States of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. The revised estimate for construction work on Passyh-Garampani road in Meghalaya has been accorded administrative approval. The scheme is to cost Rs 339.19 lakh. Meghalaya also received the nod for the improvement of the Sonapur-Umden road under NEC scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 622.61 lakh. Approval has also been issued for survey and investigation of three road schemes having a total length of 138 km at a cost of Rs 34.50 lakh. Administrative approval has been given to the work pertaining to the revised estimate for construction of Baithalangshu-Kampur-Raha road at a cost of Rs 101.94 lakh. Survey and investigation of six road schemes having a total length of 394 km at an estimated cost of Rs 98.50 lakh in Arunachal Pradesh and five schemes having a total length of 333 km in Tripura at an estimated cost of Rs 83.33 lakh have also been approved by NEC.