SHILLONG, March 10: The abnormally-delayed Shillong-Dawki highway project seems to have found a new lease of life with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) inviting fresh request for proposal for construction of a four-lane road in package 1 (total length of 11 km) and two-lane road with paved shoulders in package 5 (7 km).
The contractors implementing package 1 and package 5 had abandoned the work last year.
The request for proposal was invited in January this year and the due date is March 15. The estimated cost of package 1 is Rs 241.13 crore and the completion period is 24 months. Similarly, the estimated cost of package 5 is Rs 270.91 crore and the completion period is 30 months.
The Shillong-Dawki road project has already suffered several obstacles and is already past its initial deadline of January 2023.
Earlier, the High Court of Meghalaya, while observing that the widening and realignment of the Shillong-Dawki road will give a big boost to the state and aid in greater accessibility, had asked the authorities concerned to put their best foot forward to ensure that the entire project is completed without undue delay so that the incidental and related benefits can be enjoyed by the citizens living or working on or along the route.
