New Delhi: The government today approved a range of modifications to phase-A of the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the North East (SARDP-NE) to provide road linkage to Sittwe in Myanmar.

The modifications, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, include an alternative highway route between Siliguri and Gangtok in place of the approved proposal of upgrading an 80-km stretch from Sevoke to Ranipul to two-lane under phase-A of SARDP-NE.

It also includes an alternative alignment of National Highway 37 to bypass Kariranga, in place of the already approved proposal of four-laning 315 km from Nagoan to Dibrugarh.

The alternative highway to Gangtok will fulfil a long-pending demand of Sikkim and enable all-weather road connectivity to the State, Minister of State (Prime Minister s Office) Prithviraj Chavan said. PTI DG UB YAS 11201622 DEL NNNN
Source : PTI