Work execution for the 51.23 km long Imphal Ring Road project that was taken up in 2015-16 and approved in 2020 will start by the end of March, 2024.
According to the state project director cum chief engineer of EAP-PWD Y Joykumar, the project has to be taken up in three packages, and all three packages will start simultaneously.
The first package is for the construction of a 19 km road at a cost of Rs 340 crore, second package is for 20 km at a cost of Rs 497 crore and third is 12 km at a cost of Rs 344 crore, he announced, during a press conference in connection with the ADB assisted Imphal Ring Road programme, on Saturday at Classic Grande.
He said that the Imphal Ring Road was conceptualised to address the incremental and perpetual traffic congestion, and provide a logical solution for urban transport management of Imphal City. It will also provide a rapid access to administrative offices, health care, academic establishment and commercial centres etc. and assist expansion of the city, he added.
With the implementation of Act East Policy and the booming economy in the state, the vehicle population in Imphal City, which is also a commercial hub, has grown exponentially from 28,235 in 2014 to 1, 74,663 in 2019, he shared.
The city is substantially built up but horizontal expansion is not feasible; thus, capacity remained stagnant resulting in overburden and extreme traffic congestion on the city roads.
“The traffic congestion in Imphal City is the main reason behind the construction of the Imphal Ring Road,” he said.
He shared benefits from Imphal Ring Road, stating that the project is also expected to create 18 lakh man-days of direct employment and another 13.50 lakh man-days of Indirect employment.
The project is also based on promotion of gender equality and social inclusion by promoting employment generation of women and vulnerable groups through training or workshop policy, he informed.
He mentioned that this is the first time in the world that a development project is aligned with the Paris Climate Change agreement for mitigation measures towards minimising the adverse impacts of climate change, noise and air pollution.
He also briefed about the estimated total cost of the project in detail. The construction work is planned to be completed in 28 months.
The programme was attended by editors of local newspapers.
