The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for nearly Rs 1,955 crore highway project for construction of a link between Sahibganj in Jharkhand to Manihari in Bihar, including for a bridge on the Ganga.
The new link road project will be approximately 16 km long, starting from Sahibganj Pass in Jharkhand to another six-km stretch near Narenpur junction of NH-133B and NH-131A on Manihari bypass in Bihar. The project includes a four-lane bridge on the Ganga river and this will help in expediting the improvement of infrastructure in Bihar and Jharkhand and also in reducing the time and cost of travel, particularly heavy traffic in the area between the two states. Also, it would increase employment potential for local labourers for project activities.
The estimated project cost of Rs 1,954.77 crore includes cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The total length of the road to be developed is approximately 22 kms and the concession period of the project is 19 years, including a construction period of four years.
The new highway project is a new formation of the missing link at NH-131A to NH-133B connecting Sahibganj in Jharkhand and Manihari in Bihar. At present, there is a missing link between Jharkhand to Bihar as there is no bridge on the Ganga at this point.