By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government has awarded the contract for construction of four roads under the State Plan Assistance (SPA) in Garo Hills to an Uttar Pradesh-based firm.
“AAR Infrastructures” was entrusted with the projects on Wednesday after it had emerged as the lowest bidder among the various firms, mostly local ones, official sources said.
AAR Infrastructures is said to be the only firm to have proposed a new German technology for construction of “better and long lasting roads”.
The firm from Ghaziabad has also proposed to build low cost roads with increased strength and life by using “infracrete” materials etc, sources said.
The firm is expected to complete the construction of the four road projects in 24 months, the sources added.
The road projects awarded to the firm are — Rs 35-crore Ampati-Purakasia road (35 km), Rs 17 crore Mendipathar-Songsak road (12 km), Rs 13.46-crore Betasing-Mellim road (20 km), Rs 6-crore Gambegre-Bolselgre road (6 km).
Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, who after returning from a tour of UK, Germany and The Netherlands last year, had revealed about the Government plan to use a new technology for construction of cost effective and less time consuming roads.
A German company, WIT BuildTech, which has tie-up with the UP-based firm, had explored the idea of using their new technology in Meghalaya for construction of roads with minimum life span of five years without any repair.
William Dean, Managing Director of WIT BuildTech, had said Meghalaya is the first state in India to be using the new German technology.
The company had also collected soil samples for the four proposed roads in Garo Hills.