Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 19 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday reviewed the progress of various ongoing National Highway (NH) projects in the state focusing on resolving issues related to land compensation, clearances of FRA (Forest Rights Act) and FCA (Forest Conservation Act) and other bottlenecks of the projects in Shimla.

The Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the officers for disbursing Rs 804 crore as land compensation in various NH projects within a month.

He also emphasized the importance of completing the disbursement process of the remaining compensation cases worth about Rs 750 crore by 27 March 2023.

"As the roads are the lifeline of Himachal Pradesh, the state government has been working diligently to ensure the timely completion of National Highway projects. The State Government's efforts to expedite the land compensation and other clearances process would facilitate smoother implementation of the projects and provide better road connectivity to the people as well as tourists visiting the state, he said.

Sukhu directed the officers to expedite the FRA-FCA clearance cases, by monitoring the cases every 15 days. He said that a follow-up review meeting would be held on 27 March 2023 to access the progress made in these matters.

He also reviewed the progress of the Shimla-Matour Road, Pathankot-Mandi road, Shimla bypass and Pinjor-Baddi-Nalagarh road and gave necessary directions to accelerate these projects.

The Chief Minister said that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Bihru-Lathiani road worth Rs 900 crore was submitted to the Union Government on 20 February 2023 and the project is expected to be approved by 31 March 2023. "This road development project is set to improve connectivity in the area and provide a major boost to the transportation sector," he added.

"A consultant has also been appointed for the construction of the Jalori tunnel, whereas the process of construction for the road from Nalagarh-Swarghat, Una bypass and Punjab border to Nadaun has also been initiated. These projects are set to benefit the local population and promote economic growth in the area, he said further.

Revenue Minister, Jagat Singh Negi, Education Minister, Rohit Thakur, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Principal Advisor (IT and Innovations) to Chief Minister, Gokul Butail, OSD to Chief Minister, Gopal Sharma, Principal Secretary, Onkar Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Bharat Kheda, regional officer NHAI, Abdul Basit, MD HPSEBL, Pankaj Dadwal and senior officers of the concerned departments were also present amongst others on the occasion. (ANI)